Canvas Creating for FUN or is it REFLECTION?

On Superbowl Sunday morning, I sat in the pew amongst a SEA of RAVENS purple and black (I live in Maryland after all). As I listened to our very dynamic Pastor, Bill Brown, trying desperately to quiet my mind a bit, my ears perked up when he said, "a call for art." And so it began… forget quieting the mind… the cogs were a crankin'… a call for art… what?…to be shared in the gathering area during the lenten season…I'M IN!

I thought… Hmmm… this could be fun! I don't have time… this could be fun… I don't have time… and the cogs went a crankin.'

I scrawled an idea out on a piece of paper (yep, during service, I really was listening, though, really 🙂 Hey, when an idea strikes, you just gotta commit it to paper. The first thing I wrote was "quieting the mind." Hmmm… I guess because my mind was racing… HA! Then, I doodled it out… the theme. What spoke to me right then and there. I do this a lot, in various sketchbooks. Doodle out ideas. Some come to life. A lot DON'T.

He Gives Me Roots. He gives Me Wings! It's what came through. 

From the scrawled out sketch, I made a plan. I wanted to create a RESIST. I yanked this out from the depths of the office mess. I knew I had it… It was in the special place…  you know the one… the special place you put things so you won't forget where they are. Well, it was THERE!  
Couple hours later… I found it… Check out how it all came together.

12×24 canvas. Roughed out the design. Applied the masking fluid… after I spilled a bunch on the table of course 🙂 After this… it sat for a week. It didn't need to, I just didn't get back to it right away. And, guess what… it was good.

Painted and flooded layer after layer of Hydrus Watercolors. Just played with color to see where it would go. Once dry, I removed the masking fluid to reveal the "words" that had "resisted" the paint. I BOOGERED up the ME! Oh well. I just added it back in. Once, dry, I applied oil pastels in areas that I wanted MORE color and shadow. Then, it sat for another few days sitting on a counter in the kitchen.

My son suggested making the "HE" red, to bring together the hearts and the "ME." I was like WOWSA! I love that, so I made it RED. Whoa! I guess he's picked up a little bit of me along the way. HA! It sat for a few more days and I varnished it up yesterday. So… done…and I really love it.

Here's the finished canvas I'll be sharing this weekend. It was fun. It means something to me… and YES, during the creation of it… I finally "QUIETED MY MIND" and reflected a bit in the meaning of the Lenten season.

It wasn't for a client. It wasn't for work. It was for me to share. And it was GOOD!

Sometimes, you just gotta do it for you!

GEEKIN' OUT: Supplies used: PH Martin's Hydrus Watercolors, Caran d ache NeoPastels, Caran d ache Neocolor, 12×24 canvas (inexpensive from Michael's)