Squint More: 2009

Monday, November 23, 2009

The Old Homeplace completed 11/10/09

This painting was different for me in that it's the first of many to be painted on the surface that Richard Schmid recommends. It's a double primed Belgian linen canvas taped to a piece of masonite to be stretched later (should the painting be a success). I like how it turned out ... so, I'll be stretching it soon. It's 14" x 11" in size.

Brisk Morning completed 12/15/08

This painting is an attempt to loosen up my style a bit. I enjoy working on the slick masonite surface. It helps to show the brushstrokes better and to give a more spontaneous feel to the painting. The size is 12" x 9".

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Portrait of Emma Grace completed 9/13/09

This little girl was a joy to paint. Thanks, Linda, for letting me paint her! I hope you will enjoy viewing the painting over the years. The size of this painting is 24" x 30".

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Plein air at The Wilds completed 8/18/09

I love to paint plein air! This one is just a 10"x8". We tubed down this creek just a day or so before ... what fun!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Portrait of Mr. Vance completed 8/15/09

This commission will probably prove to be one of the best opportunities for me, as a portrait artist. I'm very thankful to Richland Fine Art Gallery for considering me to paint it. I understand that Mr. Vance was a very gracious individual. The size is 30"x40".

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Portrait of Kristy completed 12/24/08

Kristy is a special person! She can't walk now ... but she will one day. Her mother wanted an oil portrait of Kristy walking with the Lord on the beach so to be an encouragement for Kristy. I enjoyed painting the portrait. The size is 24"x30".

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Portrait of Kathy completed 7/11/09

David and Kathy enjoy their two dogs. Thanks David for letting me paint this portrait. I hope you and Kathy enjoy it for many years to come. The painting measures 14"x11".

Thursday, May 7, 2009

My friend Joe completed 5/5/09

Joe is a very lean man with very strong hands. He was an excellent model for this type of character. His hat added a lot also! This painting is 18x24.

Cowboy at the BRR completed 3/15/09

Thanks to a friend who works on a special ranch that ministers to kids of all ages, I was able to get the photo used as reference for this painting. I believe horses were made to be oil painted. This one is 16x20.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

LBL Santa completed 2/18/09

This Santa represents a mid 1800's Santa as he gave a speech at the Land Between the Lakes Home Place. In those days, children were happy to to get an orange in their stocking come Christmas morning. I enjoyed painting this one very much! 12 x 16 inches are the dimensions.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Portrait of Billy completed 1/17/09

This portrait has special meaning to me because it's someone that I've known for a very long time. He has been a great influence in my life. Thanks Chief, for the faithful help you've been to me over the many years! This painting is only 11 x 14.

Heaven ... Will You Be There?

We don’t know when God will allow us to take our last breath. And for all you know, you may not wake up tomorrow morning. Christ could come back in 5 minutes! Now that would be an awesome thing if you know that you will spend forever in heaven, but it is a devastating thought if you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, and besides heaven, hell is the only option left. Either you are saved or you aren’t. There is no in between, and it doesn’t matter if you were a “good person”.

Romans 3:10 says “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”, and Romans 3:23 says “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”. Now, you may say that you have never sinned. Lying is sin, and I am sure you can remember a time when you have lied. Or maybe you have committed a so-called bigger sin. You may not have murdered someone, but Proverbs 23:7a says “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he...”. Have you thought about it or about any sin? Yes, you have. Romans 5:12 tells us where sin came from. It says “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned;”. This is talking about when Adam sinned back in Genesis by disobeying God when he ate the forbidden fruit.

Now, there is some bad news and some good news. Romans 6:23a tells us the bad news and it says “For the wages of sin is death;...”, and this means that our payment that we earn when we sin is death (hell). But, the good news is that the last part of that verse says (Romans 6:23b) “...but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”. Isn’t that awesome? Christ will give us eternal life in heaven! You may think, why and how would he give us this awesome gift.

Romans 5:8 says “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” He gave us this gift because he loved us so much, even while we were sinners, and he was able to do that because he died for us. But like all gifts, it isn’t enough for someone to want to give you something. You must take it, and claim it. And anyone can accept it, no matter what your past contains. Romans 10:13 says “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Notice the word “whosoever”. It means anyone! Romans 10:9-10 tells us exactly what we must do to accept this gift. It says “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God that hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” 1 John 5:11-12 also talks about salvation. It says “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”.

God is very loving, but do not be fooled. God is serious. If you do not accept salvation, you will be condemmed to hell forever. John 3:36 says “He that believeth on the Son hath life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”.

You might say, ‘Well, who is Jesus that He can do or offer such a thing as eternal life?’ I love to teach this truth! Jesus is the creator of all things! You are probably thinking that there’s no way that that could be true ... I used to think the same way. However, the Bible is VERY clear that Jesus is the creator. Study the first chapter of John. The verse that I like to show is Colossians 1:16 ... it says, “For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him and for Him”. The God who created all things died for us ... to pay the penalty of all our sin. Past sins, present sins, and future sins ... you’ll not be in heaven some day if you’ll not believe that He died for you and ask him to save you. Please do so today!