Thursday, October 31, 2019

Sweet Little Fox {Watercolor}


Today’s watercolor practice fits the weather outside—it is unseasonably cold and windy and dreary here in Missouri. We have also uncharacteristically had several back-to-back days of rain and dreariness. This morning there was snow on our deck!  I’m not easily affected by weather, but several days in a row of dreariness does wear thin with me.

This little fox, snuggling a Christmas gift, was created following a tutorial by Maria Raczynska. I do like to paint animals, but they have their own challenges. 

My thought for the day, from “Too Blessed to be Stressed” by Debora Coty:
“Maturity should be the most productive season of life.”

Hmmmm....

#watercolorpractice #MariaRaczynska #maturity #foxeshaveholes #seasonsoflife

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Fruits {Watercolor Practice}

So, here it is. I am struggling with my attempts at art. I have been away from it for a few weeks, traveling back to Missouri from Washington (our 17th round trip by car—a 28-hour drive each way—since some of our family moved out there in 2013). When we returned to Missouri, I was behind with scrapbooking. That is caught up for now, so it’s back to the watercolor hobby.

I was sort of in a groove with the art hobby while we were in Washington early July through early October. Now I’m having difficulty being able to actually feel like I am on the right track with my practice. 

My favorite watercolor artist to follow is Maria Raczynska. While her work is beautiful, I do not expect to do exactly as she does, nor do I expect my work to be totally an emulation of hers. I am told that she is a huge challenge for beginners. That would be me. But I want to follow someone whose work I admire, not just whoever it seems easy to follow.

While in Washington, I did this piece from a tutorial by Maria:


My first attempt to get back “at it,” here in Missouri, is this pear, completed today (after a large amount of frustration and threats to trash it).


Trust me when I tell you, it is not as easy as it looks, even to do something as not-so-good as the pear!

I keep telling myself that success is in the process (not so much the product) at this stage of my new hobby endeavor. So, then, I must keep on keeping on and believe that in so doing, I WILL get better.

I am thankful to have a hobby that I enjoy—in other words, not being satisfied with the quality of my product does not keep me from enjoying the process. So there you have it.

#watercolorpractice #MariaRaczynska #watercolorpear #frustrations #beingtransparent #movingforwardevenwhenitfeelslikegoingbackwards

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Small Faith-Big Mountains {Bible Art Journaling}




It has been some months since I have done any Bible Art Journaling, and it is definitely something I want to keep doing, so today while I was having a difficult time with a watercolor piece, I took a break from that to do a very simple Bible journaling page. This is in my KJV Bible that has fairly large print and a good amount of margin space for art and/or journaling.

Sometimes I get in my head that FAITH is something that needs to be large—I should have a LARGE amount of faith. But in this passage, Jesus tells his disciples that if they have faith the size of a grain of mustard seed (that’s not large), they could tell a mountain to move, and it would. He told them that with that amount of faith, nothing would be impossible for them. Wow.

#BibleArtJournaling #BibleJournaling #IllustratedFaith #FaithArt #Faith #grainofmustardseed

Sunday, October 27, 2019

A Life Well-Lived (so far)...to be continued...

On October 18 and 19, my husband and I celebrated a memorable Life Event, as our alma mater, Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, MO, honored Russell with their highest award given to an alumni: The Life Service Award.


These pictures immediately below were posted on the SBU Facebook Page:




Russell with the SBU President, Dr. Eric Turner



Our family members who were there with us: David (Russell’s brother), Janene (David’s wife and my sister), Keith (my brother, who has always been like a brother to Russell), our daughter Sharida, her husband Greg Green, our grandson Dawson. (Our son Mark had total hip replacement surgery on October 15, requiring he and Kristy to cancel their flight tickets and miss the event.)



From the Honors Chapel Program: “The Life Service Award is given annually to graduates whose lives have exemplified the principles which are upheld at Southwest. Currently, the SBU National Alumni Association Board nominates a maximum of six names of prospective recipients from business, missions, church-related vocations, education, and other fields of service. The award, presented during Honors Chapel at Homecoming by the president of the University, is the highest recognition that the University can bestow upon an alumnus or alumna.”




In our hotel room ready for the day



The above was on the screens in the chapel. There were four Life Service Award recipients: L to R,  Dr Glenn Miller, Dr David Hilderbrand, Dr Russell Ford, Dr Gary Longenecker. Elizabeth Mitchell Pace was the recipient of the Edwin Lightfoot Distinguished Alumni Award.


Russell gave a 2-minute acceptance speech (excellent)



The above was on the screens in the chapel while he was speaking—there are two years listed as his graduation years, because he received his Associate of Arts Degree while the college was still a 2-year institution (1965). Then in 1967 he received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from the now-4-year institution.





That afternoon, family visiting at the hotel



In the program for Honors Chapel




After the Alumni Banquet that evening



Next morning, headed out for the parade (Russell rode in a convertible)

This event was special for so many reasons, the obvious one being that the university where Russell went as a 17-year old and graduated in the first four-year class in its history (1967), has affirmed and honored his lifetime of dedication and service to the very essence of the mission of this Christian institution. 


But there was something more nebulous that we “took away” from the weekend, where several of the homecoming events included recognition (repeatedly) of the four LSA recipients. In fact, it is so nebulous that it is nearly impossible to put into words.


To put it succinctly, it was a reminder to us that my husband’s dedication to following Christ throughout his years is indeed worthy of recognition. It’s a part of “finishing well,” although he’s not finished yet! He’s still on that journey, and he continues to make a difference in the lives of everyone he knows. 


God has blessed us immeasurably and way beyond what we deserve. That’s grace. God’s grace. We are thankful.

 


CONGRATULATIONS to my very special husband, Russell Ford, on receiving this truly deserved honor.

#SpecialLifeEvent #SBULifeServiceAward #SouthwestBaptistUniversity

Friday, October 25, 2019

Fall Watercolor {Watercolor Practice}

Trying to get back in the groove of blog posting, I have discovered that at least some of my blog subscribers are not getting email notifications of the posts. Apparently, Blogger is aware of the problem and working on it...

Here are a few of my watercolor pieces, all completed while we were in Washington, July through September.




















Since we returned to Missouri early October, I have been working mainly on scrapbooking, so I’m looking forward to breaking out the watercolor supplies soon.

#watercolorpractice #fallwatercolor

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Back in the Groove? {Out and About}

It’s been so long since I posted, I’m not sure I can even remember how to use this Blog Touch app...this will be a practice run, then!

We have been in Washington mid-July until a couple of weeks ago, and now we are back in Missouri. Fall is my favorite season everywhere, but especially in Missouri! Yesterday we drove out to August A Busch Wildlife Conservation Area, a few miles from where we live, and walked for awhile on one of the trails. 






The fall colors are not out in full force yet here, but we actually have more color in our own yard than we saw at the conservation area.



On our street, almost to our driveway, in the yard of a new house under construction.



Taken from my front porch, up our driveway.



Both these were taken from our back deck.



Cool fall evening right now. Settled in, watching the World Series, with our little Sassi Girl, who is 16 1/2 now and suddenly cold-natured.



#MissouriAutumn #SassiGirl #BacktoBlogging