Spring Time

 

Funny how Spring brings on the feeling of excitement and wonder. In the creation story in Genesis the wonder of creation is described thus: 

(Genesis 1:11) Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so.

We embrace the fact that spring is the time of year when life renews, generates the beauty, the wonderful sweet aromas that herald spring and summer. I personally give thanks that I was blessed to be able to see many years of this wonderous miracle.

(Genesis 8:22) "As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”

How blessed we are. Give thanks that we can still experience all of the wonders of  the creation of God. 

Lexham Theological Wordbook:

Time may be viewed in relation to three principle features: points, duration, and units. These overlap and intersect considerably. In the Bible, time is normally seen as part of creation; thus, it is rarely viewed abstractly, as if it was outside of creation. Even the notion of eternal life  has continuity with creation and time in the present age.

If we keep the thought of all these things, creation, life and eternal life, being present and real then God's purpose for us is also real and present. They are precious.  

Today I am sharing is somewhat graphic. It is another Moontear AI image. Sorry but I never recorded the Copics used. This image shows the bruises and a few cuts Christ endured post crucifixion. I have done much more graphic depictions but this was sufficient for this Easter. 

That is it for this week. I hope you had a great veterans day if you celebrated it. May God Bless and keep you safe. Remember to "Always Love The Details."

Time

 

Today's quote is special. There are many individuals who live in the past. It seems there is nothing else that matters to them. It is good to remember the past at times. The people, places and things that made us who we are. It is also important to remember those things that happened that were things we should not repeat. Then there are some people who only look to the future. We often call them dreamers. They are important as long as that is not all they do. The dream world is not a real world but often a fantasy world of non-realities. Everyone lives in the present world where reality is the gift of the present. It is in the present that the past is remembered and the future is created. The present is the gift of being alive and enjoying what God has made. It is not to be wasted by living in the past. The past is gone, never to return. The future is  a dream world with nothing in the present. The present is a gift to all of the senses and feelings of life. The simplicities and complexities of life are in the present whether good or bad. Creation is in the present not the future. We were created for the here and now. Jesus is the only one that is in the past, present and future. It is the present that He wants us to live in so the future will be with Him. The only part of the past that we need to remember and carry forward is His sacrifice for our sins. The time we are living is the here and now with Christ.

Here is another image by Moontear. There are 50 of these images that I purchased in a digital book. Not all of them are images I will color. Some of them have tattoos. Children and tattoos are not something I believe in. Sorry! 

The Copic colors are: 

At first glance it doesn't look like that many colors does it? Details, details details. "Always Love The Details." It makes the image come alive. In order to do justice to any image, yep, even cartoon images, pay attention to the details as much as possible. My wife says I am a perfectionist. The details are important in artwork.

Thanks for visiting and remember to "Always Love The Details." God bless and keep you safe and healthy.

Hypocrites

 

Hypocrite: Advocating behaviors that one does not practice

There was a teaching by a catholic priest during catechism class that struck home with life and what we search for in life. I heard the same thing in a recent christian radio show. The priest said that if he stood in the pulpit and told everyone that was a hypocrite to leave the church, there would be no-one in church because even he would have to leave. I often wondered how many "religious" people actually understand what that means. I know I have said it before but it means "all that you are I am." That puts me in the same place every other person is. There is no-one that can claim perfection in the world. Not one innocent person on earth. No excuse that makes anyone righteous. Not even the Saints. Our place on earth is a result of what the original sin caused.  Even the earth was put under the original sin. Only by the grace of God and the sin offering of Jesus Christ have we been blessed with the grace of forgiveness for our sins. Fortunately all it takes is a voicing of the belief that Jesus did this for us and that Jesus is Lord. Can't do anything to earn it. It's not for sale. Don't even think it. That priest and the pastor were correct. We are all sinners and no-one is exempt. 

Today, as promised , I am sharing the large version of last week's image, an 8.5" X  11" print. It is a bit different because there is more detail to pay attention to. It may not look it but this took several days of coloring. Some of the shadowing in the lace was lightly touched up to make it stand out better but not too much.

The Copic colors are: BG11, Y21, V22, Coo, E00, E000, R85.

The color pallette is small on this image but the detail is small and delicate. Very hard on these old eyes. 

That is it for this week. May the good Lord bless and keep you safe and healthy. Remember to "always Love The Details."

Coping

 
This past week has been hard on both Jill and I. We have faced many lost friends in the past, some of them close. This time it was close to home, literally. We became close to the couple next door. Her husband passing so suddenly was a shock to her mental and physical being. She comes to us when she needs to talk and let loose. There is a lot going on and none of it is fun. Jill and I want her to have someone to vent with that will not judge either of them. I often wish there were someone close to be able to do that with. She is a sweet, beautiful  person. Jill and I think she is strong and will get through this in time. It will take time. That is enough on the subject for now.  

My message is simple. The 23rd Psalm. Many of you know it but if not read it. It is comforting and reassuring. It helps ground you in what is important. 

Today I am sharing another Floral Princess image. This image was a 4x6 that was a challenge because of its size. Much of the detail is too small to capture. This image was done with Artisoft water color pencils.

The colors are;  Purple, Emerald Green, Magenta, Grey, Light Peach, Peach and Yellow Ochre. I do not have many water color pencils so this was something different for me. It turned out decent. Next week I will share the follow-up that is an 8.5 x 11 inch done with Copics. Until then may the good Lord bless and keep you safe. Remember to always "Love The Details."

Death

I am writing this post on Sunday the 30th of April. Once again a death of a friend has entered my life. This time it is my neighbor of two years. He was only in his thirties but we became close friends in those two years. He was a man searching for the Lord and a church to attend where he could help others and volunteer his services. He found that Church about a month ago. We often sat and talked about God, Jesus and what it meant to be Christian. He and his wife wanted to to have children with his wife but were unable to. He was eager to make a place for himself and his love for his wife was obvious. He had one problem. He was a recovering drug addict. It caused many roadblocks that he worked hard to overcome. I admired him and came to love him in his enthusiasm and sincerity. Three days ago he overdosed in a motel room. His wife says he had been depressed for several weeks for reasons unknown. His wife and sister came over to tell us the sad news. No-one knows why he overdosed but he left a wife who loves him and knew him from childhood and two dogs. There is a hole in our lives now with no answers as to why it happened. I talked to him the day before and he was looking forward to going to the replica of noah's ark and a Christian theater production we had told him about. There were no indications of what was coming. This is life in the Christian world at times. It is hard to even concentrate right now. I just wanted to let the faithful people who view this blog know why there is no image this week. I will post an image next week. 

May the good Lord bless and keep you safe until then. Remember to "Always Love The Details."