I painted this for the book about Savannah, Georgia (bulldogs, sports team). But today I’m sharing this because I’m rattled by an experience that happened to me a few hours ago. I was nearly attacked by two large dogs. I was on my patio when they ran at me full tilt, barking aggressively (I know the difference between a bark when dogs are just messing around, and a bark that sounds like a junkyard dog who sees someone jumping over his side of the fence, or a police attack dog on command, etc.).
I yelled “No!” and held my arms out, holding a cardboard box I was planning to take to the recycling as a shield (which they could have torn through in a heartbeat, but they were distracted by it and froze). I screamed, “LEASH YOUR DOG!” to the dogs’ owners.
While the dogs were probably only secondarily distracted, I told my daughter (who was screaming and then echoed “Leash your dog!”) to go inside. She opened the door and we both popped in. My daughter heard the woman say, “they don’t bite”.
I didn’t hear that, but it’s irrelevant. As my husband said, “Everyone thinks their dog won’t bite until it does.” But it really doesn’t matter if they would have bitten me or not, the dogs were aggressive. The dogs locked eyes with me and I felt certain that they were going to attack me. It did NOT seem like just a warning bark, or an “I’m bored and will bark at strangers” bark. It felt like an “I’m going to take a bite out of you” bark. So, even if that were not true, it was clearly AGGRESSIVE and whether or not they would have bitten me if I hadn’t been a quick thinker and remembered my training for when threatened by a dog (never run, stay calm, try to distract their locked-on-you gaze, get away calmly during the window of distraction), is not the point. It was not OK! And they were in our space, near my patio where I was standing legally, whereas they were trespassing with two unleashed aggressive dogs.
They have been frequently trespassing and totally ignoring the signs not to trespass or fish in the lagoon that is behind these houses. Among other things.
I hate confrontations, but the genie is out of the bottle. There is no going back to hoping we can serve out our lease without those people knowing we are frustrated by their rule breaking (they hang out for hours on every major holiday, nice days, weekends, often- and of course it’s quite unpleasant to have them doing this just outside our yard- feels IN our yard, as the space is small). But… Now that I’ve screamed at them “LEASH YOUR DOG!” it’s a game changer, as they now know that we don’t like what they do.
I can’t say anything more about this, in case there’s a legal issue in the future. Just please think good thoughts. I need to be able to enjoy being outside. It keeps me focused on positive things and I’ve worked very hard on my garden. Oh well, these things happen. Life is never perfect. I will bounce back from this, and we’ll deal with whatever happens next. Thank you for listening. It’s not a big problem compared to the world’s horrors, it’s just a terrible day in my little world. The dogs didn’t bite me or my daughter (I think only because we got away!). But I am grateful for that! Today could have been much worse.
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- EASTER SHOW 2026! Painting, Music, Garden Tour
The show features a personal presentation, including a painting inspired by MercyMe’s song “I Can Only Imagine,” along with guitar performances. The artist shares her gardening journey of transforming a neglected property over four years. The message emphasizes joy in art, music, and nature, and includes wishes for a blessed Easter. - Dust in the Wind, Guitar and Lent
As Holy Week progresses, Lent concludes, leading to Easter celebrations. This period emphasizes reflection and acceptance of life’s changes. The author’s guitar practice with “Dust in the Wind” serves as a metaphor for introspection. Amidst spring’s beauty in Savannah, new art inspired by song lyrics is being created for Easter. - Here I Go Again on my Own
The author shares updates on their guitar oil painting and learning journey, expressing gratitude for family and friends during challenging times. They are tackling more complex guitar songs, including “Here I Go Again” by Whitesnake. The author also looks forward to spring and plans to share garden updates soon. - Chords and Paint
The author shares progress on both an oil painting of her guitar and her guitar-playing journey, shown in a video. Initially limited to four chords, she’s now added four more, though struggling with transitioning. She reflects on a song that reminds her of her grandpa and is adjusting to playing while standing. She invites readers to subscribe. - One Day at a Time and Lenten Roses
The writer reflects on a stressful week, including jury duty and personal challenges, while finding solace in the song “One Day at a Time, Sweet Jesus.” She shares a video of her singing that song and playing it on guitar, a continuation of her journey to learn how to play. She also shares her own design inspired by Lenten roses from their garden, symbolizing hope and beauty amid life’s hardships. Lent signifies reflection and renewal. - Guitar and painting journey continues with “How Great thou Art”
The author shares their journey of learning guitar and creating a unique cover of a meaningful song, “How Great Thou Art.” A touching experience at a nursing home highlights music’s power, inspiring the author. They also discuss their oil painting progress and interactions with neighborhood birds while singing, emphasizing nature’s beauty. - Guitar and Painting Journey Continues!
If it seems my guitar is a bit out of tune, it probably is. After last week’s unfortunate incident with the broken string, I decided not to try to tune it just before filming for the blog! You might remember that last week I had to play ukulele instead. Today I’m back with new strings and I’m playing the same 4 chords I’ve been doing, a song recommended to beginners “You Raise me Up”. BUT – I’ve been working on other chords and hopefully I’ll share a song with 5 or 6 chords next time! I’m practicing an easier version of the dreaded F chord. I have small hands and might not ever be able to do the advanced F chord. That’s OK, I’m playing for fun. So, I’m making progress, both on learning guitar and on working through a difficult time I’m going through right now. By the way, you might have noticed that my guitar oil painting is coming along, as it is visible in the background of my guitar video. Here’s a current photo of it (still unfinished, planning to do more to it): I’m also getting ready to paint on my first instrument, a ukulele (I’ll try a guitar in the near future, but I want to start on the smaller surface of a less expensive uke first). I’ve decided to look at one of my own bluebird paintings (this is a copy of it printed on a very small canvas compared to the original oil painting, to the right of the ukulele), as reference inspiration for the uke painting, which will also feature bluebirds, similar to these but probably not exactly. Here’s the ukulele project laid out, all ready to paint on: Please don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t already – you’ll get updates in your e-mail. - Ukulele too!
In this blog post, the author shares updates on their journey learning guitar and ukulele alongside painting a guitar. They discuss their approach to chord learning, using color-coded notes and online resources. Despite challenges like breaking a guitar string, they remain determined. The post concludes with a teaser for future updates on their artistic endeavors. - Guitar and painting – New blog series!
The “Guitar and Painting” blog series starts today, featuring the author’s journey in learning guitar and creating artwork inspired by it. After switching to a left-handed guitar, she is enjoying the process, despite only mastering four chords. The series will document both her musical and artistic growth while sharing personal experiences. - NEW Angels and Church Painting “Christmas at Southside”
I finished my new 2025 Christmas painting LIVE in Savannah, Georgia on December 14. Below are photos of the event and a 4 minute video of how the painting “Christmas at Southside” came together before the show, followed by live footage of the parts I finished during the program. I’ll also explain in this blog what the painting means (from my perspective, as the artist. To you, it may mean something else; feel free to interpret it in a way that is special and unique to you personally). The parts I finished live are these: light in the sky, light in the angel’s candle, light in the church window, and finally- during the last notes of the song- light in the cross on the church steeple (spire). The entire painting was done in only black and white, except for those final additions of light at the end which was a mix of white and yellow. The light in the sky (above image) was added live, as was the light in the candle, window, and cross in the image below. ABOUT THIS PAINTING “Christmas at Southside” oil painting was inspired by a photograph that Pastor Kevin Barron took of our church during a rare January snowstorm in the deep south of Savannah, Georgia, and by my experience of what it feels like to worship with my church family (represented by angels). In my painting, you see angels in various roles and forms of worship. The deep emotions we feel are both individual and collective, as we gather together as the church of Christ. According to the Bible, angels didn’t really have wings, but because most people know that a being is meant to be an angel if they have wings, I painted them with wings. The wings are white not only because of tradition, but to remind us of doves (peace, messengers of God, and most importantly the Holy Spirit). The painting story: God’s Light (represented by the light added to the dark sky) is sent down to earth through his Son (represented by the cross on top of the church), and through the Holy Spirit (the dove-like winged angel bringing the candle lit by the Holy Spirit). The angel on mission is carrying a light to the church (Christians everywhere in the world), while other angels are in acts of worship: singing, praying, yearning for God (the angel to the right of the one delivering the candle stretches a hand, longing to see God). I hope that all who view my painting can see themselves and their special people in the body language and expressions of the angels. Worship is so personal and unique, and yet, when we worship together, we feel the love, peace, and joy in such a powerful and overwhelming way. I painted the figure on the top right to loosely resemble myself and how I feel when I sing in the choir, while the angel below with outstretched hands reminds me of my dear friend who sings next to me. But, personally, my favorite is the one I call the “yearning angel”. I deliberately left her and the messenger angel in an unfinished state, to be more unworldly and less human. To learn more about my art and view over 200 oil paintings online, with videos to watch me paint (free), please continue exploring my site here at NatalieBuskeThomas.com. Most of my paintings are done at home, then I finish them live if I have an event. Also, please share my art with others. I am grateful to paint for you. MERRY CHRISTMAS! Love and blessings, Natalie Note: the Christmas program was wonderful (see two photo highlights below), with an orchestra and choir (I sing high soprano, except for during the song that I was painting to). I didn’t include the live audio feed for copyright reasons. The music I used in my video instead are instrumental compositions from Megiss “Epic Angel Story” and JuliusH “Enchanting Christmas Carol with Shepherd Flute and Humming Angel Choir” from Pixabay. Thank you for your delightful work! Never miss a new painting, subscribe in the box above (no ads, just automatically sends you notifications when I post something new, unsubscribe anytime). Also, explore my past blog posts. - Exclusive Sneak Peek: 2025 Christmas Oil Painting Event
Coming soon! December 14th I’ll finish my 2025 Christmas painting live during a special music program! If you live near Savannah, Georgia (or willing to travel), and want more information on the time/location of this event, please contact me. See below for a sneak peek of two small sections of the 4 feet by 5 feet oil painting. Half of the painting will be hidden from view until the rise of the song “Heaven’s Greatest Gift” (appears midway through the program), when I’ll remove the panel and reveal what’s underneath, and add the finishing touches to that part also. This event will be livestreamed. With an orchestra and many exciting on-stage happenings, it may be difficult to get footage of the whole thing. Try to attend in person if you can! And please find me after the show, I’d love to chat with you! Wishing all of you a beautiful Advent season. God bless and keep you, and your family. Above photos are of two sections of my 2025 Christmas painting. “Yearning Angel” (left) and “Male Praying Angel” (right) are part of a large 4 feet by 5 feet oil painting. - New Painting – “Cassie Reading”
Oil painting of my daughter Cassie – she loves books and reading, and would like to work as a librarian one day. See the short 2 minute time lapse video below to watch me paint this art. This painting will be added to “People and Places” vol 2, part of my ongoing series of painting books. Enter your email address in the box above if you’d like to be notified of new paintings. We do not sell your address or interact with you, this is an automated service that you can cancel at any time (you’ll get an email when Natalie posts something new to her blog on this site). - New Painting “Bluebirds”
Watch me paint this in the short minute & a half time-lapse video below. The video begins with the first layer already done (I call it “blocking” when I paint all of the elements of the painting and then later build upon it with texture and details). This painting was a 2 session painting and took me about 2 hours to paint in real time, painted on two separate days. We get a lot of bluebirds in our yard ever since we added the food they like (called “bluebird nuggets”). And then, after we added a birdhouse they had many babies- about three or four each nesting session, which has been about three times a year. I’m not sure if these juvenile birds are all from the same bluebird couple or not, but with their frequent nesting it means about ten bluebird babies a year, so far! I painted this bluebird pair from a photograph I took of them in our tree. They are so interactive with us and ever-present that we think of them as our birdie friends. I will include this project in my Birds and Animals book series, but I really just wanted to paint it for myself because I love these colorful and sweet birds. - New Painting – “The Stone is Rolled Away” – Easter LIVE!
Watch the video below to see this oil painting come to life. The first part of the video shows what Natalie painted before Easter. Stay tuned after the final photos from Part 1 (stone blocking tomb) appear. The rest of the video (stone is rolled away) is LIVE footage. Natalie finished this painting during a powerful worship service held in Savannah, Georgia on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025. If you are interested in attending a future event, please contact Natalie for details about the location and time. “The Stone is Rolled Away” Easter painting 2025 video to watch Natalie paint this (above), images of painting (below) - New Painting! Easter 2025
This is a 2 part oil painting. On Good Friday, as I post this, the stone is at the door of the tomb. Come back on Easter when the stone is rolled away live! If you live near Savannah, Georgia, USA, or are willing to travel, the event is free and open to the public. Bring your family for a powerful morning of worship (contact me for further details). This is how the painting looks so far – Watch me paint part 1 of “The Stone is Rolled Away”: I’ll finish this painting live during the last song of the Easter service. An updated video will be posted here as soon as possible, so don’t forget to check back to see how the story ends! May you have a quiet reflective weekend as we await Sunday’s joyful greeting “HE IS RISEN!” Risen, indeed. God bless you and your family, this day and always. - New Nativity Christmas Painting 2024!
Experience the true meaning of Christmas in a special way – Watch me paint this Nativity scene, with Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, the wisemen and shepherds, and animals (5 minute time lapse video below). See the painting come alive before your eyes. Stay until the ending, when I add to the painting during the LIVE performance of “Behold!”, a joyful and wonderful Christmas program held in Savannah, Georgia on December 8, 2024: More photos of my new nativity Christmas painting 2024: After angels are added (as well as the star of Bethlehem and golden accents around the candle and baby Jesus’ head): Please share my art with anyone you think will like seeing it. May you enjoy the season of Advent and have a blessed and joyous Christmas! Subscribe below to receive an e-mail notification when I add something new to this site (free, no ads, your contact info is not shared). - Book 3 is out! People & Places
Book info on Amazon: “25 oil paintings in full color feature primarily Savannah, Georgia (fountain at Forsyth Park, lighthouse near Tybee Island, Savannah square and more) but also imaginary landscapes and inspirational stories by Christian artist Natalie Buske Thomas. Natalie talks about the techniques she used to paint these works, stories behind the paintings, and personal background into what motivates and inspires her to paint. All of the paintings re-appear in the back of the book for you to cut out and frame, make craft projects out of, or use as greeting cards.” Stay tuned- book 4 in my “25 Oil Paintings” series will come out later this month. Each book in the series features 25 paintings, so with this third book the count is at 75 published paintings. Book 4 will bring the tally to 100. I expect at least two more books after that (six books in total, 150 works), and then the progress will slow down as I paint new work. But the series will continue when I reach 25 new paintings again and again. My lifetime goal is 1,000 paintings! As always, new paintings will appear here first, while the oils are still wet on the canvas. All painting videos, free online art classes, and my blog are also here. Please subscribe to be notified when I’ve posted something new. Thank you for being a part of my journey! - New Painting – Autumn Trees
Short 2 minute video (above) to watch me paint “Autumn Trees” – see the change of seasons happen! - 2nd New Book in Series Out!
This is book 2 in the series “25 Oil Paintings by artist Natalie Buske Thomas“. Each book contains stories and painting techniques, plus a gift supplement of all 25 paintings that can be cut from the book to use as 5 x 7 frame-able prints, or as craft projects such as DIY greeting cards. Book 3 will be released soon! - My New Book is Out!
Description on my book’s Amazon page: “25 oil paintings featuring birds and animals by Christian artist Natalie Buske Thomas are shown in full color. Natalie talks about the techniques she used to paint these works, stories behind the paintings, and personal background into what motivates and inspires her to paint. All of the paintings re-appear in the back of the book for you to cut out and frame, make craft projects out of, or use as greeting cards.” I received my proof copy and I love it! I’m so proud of this book. I hope you love it too. If you’ve been on this journey with me for a while, you’ll recognize stories and techniques I’ve talked about here on the blog, but there are also a few new sections that I wrote just for this book. The paper quality is very nice- it’ll work well when cutting out the pages from the back supplement to frame or use in craft projects. The print quality and color is excellent! I’m very happy with this book and already working on the next one in the series “Faith: 25 Oil Paintings by artist Natalie Buske Thomas”. It should come together quickly since the paintings for it are already done. I’ll announce it here on the blog when it’s published. Buy the book! - “Realism or Impressionism?”
How about BOTH? In this next installment of my blog series “Spiritual Painting and Technique” (see previous: Post 1 “Give and Take Away“, Post 2 “From the Inside Out“, Post 3 “Gimmick or Honest?“) I’ll share my painting style that combines both realism and impressionism into the same composition. Then I’ll wrap up with a spiritual metaphor about how life is about facts and logic, as well as abstract concepts like faith. This series of paintings (above photo), used as illustrations for children’s book “Bird Days”, is a good example of merging realism with impressionism. Let’s take a closer look at my cardinals painting first: In the above painting of a pair of cardinals in a tree, the birds themselves are detailed and true to life, painted with precision and small brush strokes, based on the factual anatomy of the birds: realism. Whereas the tree is painted with loose, big, strokes that are easily seen when observing the painting, carrying more emotion than detail: impressionism. Both realism and impressionism originated with artists painting everyday life situations, and modern day artists like me carry on that tradition to this day. Birds in trees is a common sight. How everyday life is applied to canvas comes down to style. Impressionism often focuses on the highlights, movement, and energy of a subject, whereas realism is usually flatter and more subdued. The combination of the two is a good example of the duality of life, which is also a common part of everyday living. Life is about opposing themes, such as life and death, happiness and grief, peace and turmoil, order and chaos. You can observe the same method of combining realism and impressionism in the above image of my painting of a hummingbird. Notice how the bird is realistically detailed while the landscape is impressionistic. The hummingbird almost looks like a nature drawing to illustrate a book about bird facts, whereas the parts depicting the flowers and grass are heavily textured and so loosely represented that we can’t even tell what type of flowers they are. In this last example, the bluebird contains many more details than the surrounding landscape. The impressionism style focuses on the rolling highlights of the grasses, making it look like the grass is moving like waves of the ocean. The purples and reds of the vegetation behind the grass look different in texture, an illusion created by variations in color and by alternating different brush strokes. There is a contrasting energy between the quiet bird who looks lost in thought and the active landscape around him. Now we’re at the point in the blog post where we ponder my painting technique as a spiritual metaphor. Imagine your life as a pair of parallel train tracks, with one train going one direction and the other going the opposite way. At times the trains are moving at the same speed, other times not. Sometimes one train is going a farther distance from the other. Let’s now imagine that the trains are sometimes synced to move in the same direction alongside each other, and in a few rare occasions it seems as if the two trains are moving at the same speed, headed to the same destination, perfectly in time with each other. I like the train metaphor and I think of it often, assigning different symbolic meanings to the trains depending on the conversation. For this blog post, the trains represent our logical, factual, “realism” side of life on one track and our emotional, spiritual, “impressionistic” side of life on the other. Sometimes these two aspects of our lives move far away from each other in what may feel like a hopeless disconnect. We may see our reality train and our faith train traveling in opposite directions, faster and faster, further and further apart. Other times we may feel as if our reality and faith are in perfect alignment, traveling in the same direction at the same time. We can think of my painting style as a similar metaphor. Reality and faith, rather than trains on a track, are represented as realism and impressionism, colors, brush strokes, details or lack thereof, movement, and composition. It’s well with our soul when our life’s canvas is a peaceful balance of both the logical and the spiritual. For without clear eyes about what is, we don’t see truth. But without hope, we cannot handle the truth that we can plainly see, nor can we believe in the truth that we can’t see without faith. Without logic, we can’t justify faith, as there is no reality to validate it with. And yet without faith, there is no justification of truth, as there is no validation of it as having any substance, any meaning. Realism without spiritualism is a bit like the philosophical question about a tree falling down in the woods. If no one is around to hear it go down, does it make noise? Facts without interpretation are a soundless tree, or a tree whose noise doesn’t matter. Beyond the dynamic of logic and faith, my paintings carry personal spiritual significance that combines the realistic portrayal of an actual bird with the concept of what a bird might mean to us individually and spiritually. Here is an excerpt that I wrote about my cardinal painting from my book “50 Oil Paintings Inspired by my Christian Faith”: “Cardinals have a special meaning for me that relates to my dad. Dad died from cancer at age thirty-seven. My grandmother was convinced that he visited her as a cardinal. At the time, this was an out-there idea for Mom and I to believe in, but a pattern of cardinal sightings began to emerge. Especially during milestones or other significant days of high emotion, a cardinal would appear seemingly out of nowhere. I began to think of cardinal sightings as Dad letting me know he sees our joys and pain. His spirit lives on, and love is forever. I hear from many people that they too have experienced a spiritual connection with cardinals that brings comfort and peace, relating to the loss of a loved one.” Revelation 21:4“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Of note is the part where I mention “I hear from many people that they too have experienced a spiritual connection with cardinals…” In this way the realism (a recognizable realistic bird) impacts the spiritual (how people feel about the bird). This takes us to a deeper level from the painting techniques of realism and impressionism, and brings us to the actual real paint on the canvas combined with the thoughts, feelings, and impressions of the person viewing the painting. And if people share their impressions with me, we move beyond the canvas and are now engaged beyond the painting, beyond the paints. So when we bring this to a level beyond the painting style, realism refers to the paint itself and impressionism is the impact the painting has on the viewer. That’s not a standard definition for realism or impressionism, but I hope that looking at those familiar terms in a different way has been interesting for you, perhaps even healing. We are complicated beings, we humans. Even when the world is chaotic, our reality train and our faith train don’t stay far apart forever. Take heart and stay strong. The trains will align again in time. Or imagine my bird paintings- reality and faith exist on the same canvas. One doesn’t cancel the other, both are powerful and beautiful. We see many of the same things as we journey through life together. God bless you and keep you, and give you peace. - “Gimmick or Honest?”
In this third post of my blog series “Spiritual Painting and Technique”, I’m sharing with you the method I used to rehearse for my live Easter painting. First I’ll talk about the art, and then I’ll apply it to spirituality and faith. If you’ve not read the first two blog posts yet, you can catch up here: Post 1 “Give and Take Away“, Post 2 “From the Inside Out“ Normally I don’t practice my art before I paint. I don’t sketch things out or plan anything in great detail. I don’t want my art to become like a magic trick or a gimmick. With enough repetition, people can learn to copy the techniques of an original artist, much like singers can copy the style and songs of original artists to perform professional covers or amateur karaoke. Why would I turn my art into a gimmick that puts myself into the role of copying my own style? Why not create something new and different with every blank canvas? Isn’t that more authentic, more honest, and more purposeful? Isn’t creating fresh art what separates arts from crafts? Would any fine restaurant serve a cake made from a boxed mix? I feel that my art should be made “from scratch”, not from a formula. And that’s usually how I paint. However, what if my painting is meant to be done in under six minutes during a live setting on Easter morning? I gave this some thought and I realized that I needed to knock that chip off my shoulder about methods turning into gimmicks. What was more honest in this situation: honoring my commitment to a quality presentation by rehearsing my act, or stubbornly refusing to practice? When I paint live it’s performance art and a form of public speaking. I can leave some of what I do to spontaneous response, but it’s disrespectful to show up unrehearsed when people have put their trust in me to deliver something of quality for a special event. So, for this event I rehearsed what I was going to do (see the dove images at the top of this blog post). Fortunately, I only needed to paint the final element of the large painting, and I kept that element very simple (a dove with a basic shape), something that I could paint well within the time frame. This allowed me extra time for the unexpected to occur (starting later than my cue, dropping my paintbrush, a technical glitch with the music, distractions in the audience, etc.). If I finished quickly, I could always add a few extra brush strokes, but I knew it was unlikely that I’d not get it done within the six minutes if my element was simple. And I was right, the dove was simple and I finished it early enough to add extra brush strokes. I wondered if I should paint a more complicated element next time, but then again, that could be a mistake if something unexpected happened in the live setting. It was a good idea to keep it simple and create a formula. I planned easy-to-memorize steps for how to paint the dove and then I rehearsed it to the music I would be painting to during the event. I made sure I got the timing down and had time leftover. This turned out to be a good idea, since I did miss my cue when painting live. I expected my time lapse video to play ahead of my painting, but something else was played instead and I didn’t know when that would end. There was a slight pause between when I recognized my cue and when I started painting. But I had plenty of built-in time, and this was not a problem. It illustrates how important it is to be rehearsed. (you can watch me paint this here) Now it’s time for the part of the blog post when we look at my painting method as a spiritual metaphor. Are our lifestyle actions a gimmick or honest? When we engage with people do we parrot hallow greetings devoid of any sincerity, not expecting or wanting a real response? Do we call out “How are you” while not waiting for an answer? Are our exchanges with others a social gimmick? Or, do we use formulaic phrases that are easy to memorize, steps we can rehearse, and things we can say in a short time frame (just like when I practiced the dove so that I could do it quickly under live conditions), so that we are prepared for a quality and special connection? Sometimes when we copy the social customs and polite exchanges it’s not a thoughtless social gimmick, but a rehearsal, an honest effort to engage with people in a productive, meaningful way. The same can be said for studying our faith in a series of trained steps, copying what others have done, or setting our own routine that can easily be copied by others. Perhaps we read books, listen to music, go for a walk in nature, pray, go to church, attend community groups, or serve as a volunteer. These things could become a formula to teach others how to develop their faith, how to connect better to other people, and how to become closer to God. Does this mean that practicing our faith is a gimmick? Well, I think it can be. It depends on the motive for doing it. We can copy the steps to become closer to God and never achieve it if our heart isn’t in it. Or, we can see our faith formula as a method for rehearsing, for practicing to be ready for a quality and special experience. It’s all about the honesty in our motivation. In this world of so much dishonesty, theater, marketing, and full blown deception, it’s difficult not to feel discouraged, cynical, and depressed. What can help is to live honestly ourselves, choosing to be mindfully authentic. Maybe we bake a cake from scratch even though it would be quicker and easier to make a box mix, sing our own lyrics, or we paint something new without following a plan. When we greet someone, we go off the social script and say something unexpected. Whenever we put something real out there, we counter the fake. The act of doing something real creates honesty. And for those times when it’s important to rehearse, honesty is in the motivation. Practicing what we preach is often as important as the preaching. People watch us when we don’t even realize it. The method matters, the rehearsal matters. Authenticity is a heart issue. It is less important what steps (if any) we follow, and more important our motive for doing so. - “From the Inside Out”
This second blog post of my new series “Spiritual Painting and Technique” will cover my method of painting from the inside out. If you missed the first post of the series, click here to catch up. This 2+ minute video “Bear” is a good example of what I mean by painting from the inside out. I didn’t sketch or lay out the composition in any way. I put my paintbrush in the center of the canvas and painted the heart of the subject first. This is not what artists typically do, as most painters work the entire composition in a planned way. My style is to dive right into the most important part of the painting and then build the rest of it from there. This second example “Dancer in a Floral Forest” is a bit different because the center of the composition isn’t as clear. The heart of the painting could be thought of as the dancer, even though the subject is positioned off center toward the right. I chose to treat the forest as the life force of the painting and my “inside out” method meant that I painted the trees first and then built the rest of the painting around them. But overall, my method is the same: painting the center first and then working the outside areas. Now how do we apply today’s painting technique to a spiritual metaphor? Imagine our lives as a blank canvas, that’s a common metaphor and easy to apply to ourselves. Next, imagine that the parts of our lives that we value the most are in the center. Do we try to plan the whole composition and start by working all parts of the painting as a whole, sketching, fretting and spending a lot of time on the unimportant outer areas first? Maybe we’re nervous about not getting what we most want, so we procrastinate working on the things that we most value. We instead become distracted by the less important things, the outer areas instead of the heart of our lives. We might think that by working from the outside in, by the time we reach the center we’ll be better prepared. And yes, that might be true, but it’s also possible that the passion of what could have been has dimmed. We may have missed our opportunity. By the time we get to the heart of it all, the plan may have changed. Maybe time has run out and the center never gets finished. Working from the “inside out” in painting means having courage to take risks. I could make fewer mistakes if I sketch my compositions and work the lesser parts before diving into the center, but creating art through structure and formula may dim the passion. Will my art have the same vibrancy or will the energy wane? Working from the “inside out” in life can be the same. It means having courage to take risks. We may make fewer mistakes if we stick to a plan and work the lesser important aspects of our lives first, before diving in to the things that we care about the most. But delaying our life’s purpose may dim the passion and the energy may wane. Perhaps what we are called to do will never happen, and the people we were meant to love will never feel the fullness of our joy. Even if painting from the inside out doesn’t appeal to you, I hope that you will consider LIVING from the inside out. Every day we are alive is a blessing. Let us not waste a single minute. Dive into the center. Subscribe to this blog to receive a notification when there’s something new: - “Give and Take Away”
This first blog post of new series “Spiritual Painting and Technique” is about a painting method I’ve adopted that I call “Give and Take Away”. It’s both a technique for painting in layers and a spiritual exercise. This method is a form of therapy for peaceful letting go, and acceptance of what we cannot change. While releasing stress and anxiety, may we be willing to let go of the fretful need to control the people and events of our lives. It is only when we let go that new spiritual growth can thrive. You can see many examples of what I mean in the time-lapse videos that are on this site. It’s easy to see it in those videos because the footage is sped up and it makes the process appear obvious. In real time though, the process is much more subtle and it may go unnoticed by a person who sees the progress spread out over time. The transition from how the painting looked after the first session to the third may end with a more detailed subject, but the phases in between (when parts of the painting are temporarily “gone”) may be missed if the observer isn’t watching me paint, and only sees the painting at the end of each session. However, when every brush stroke is filmed and the viewer (you!) witnesses each phase of the session, it looks as if the subject of the painting has been erased for a time and then painted back in. I give the subject its form and then I take it away, thus “Give and Take Away”. I don’t take all parts of it away, and it really isn’t a taking away (it only looks like it). I’m painting OVER the top of what was there before. In this way, my first session gives me a template that I use to build up a new layer, which temporarily covers up what I originally painted. Sometimes this is hard for me to do because I know that I might prefer the original form and be disappointed if the finished version doesn’t come through, but it’s important to paint with confidence and believe that the painting will turn out as it’s meant to. Think of the layers as “stacks”, like playing with toy blocks. Each stack covers the layer underneath because the goal is to create something as a whole. While the first layer might look amazing, it’s unfinished. We can’t build a house from one layer of bricks. So, when painting in layers to develop a composition that is built upon, I have to be willing to stack a new layer that covers my foundation and keep going in that way until I have built my house. I usually paint about three layers before calling the painting done and moving on to the next project. Depending on how involved the subject is and the size of the canvas, this process varies, but in general I put down an initial layer that could be a finished painting if I was willing to leave it as a simple first draft. Then, the second layer is painted on top and sets the stage for topping off the final stack (or more) to build the completed version. Here are two examples of “Give and Take Away”. In this first example, watch the video of “Lion of Judah” and you’ll see the lion’s eyes form, then they disappear slightly and come back again looking more finished (greater detail, vibrancy, texture and dimension). Of course the eyes didn’t really disappear. They were simply covered up for a time in the areas I was layering (building the next stack on top of). In the second example, pay attention to the water puddle that I painted at my daughter’s feet. Watching the painting come together through time-lapse is fascinating because it gives the illusion that the water is moving. But what you’re seeing is my “Give and Take Away” method in action. The puddle is temporarily covered up so that I can build upon it with lights and shadows that create the detailed droplets and splashes of moving water. You can see how the puddle has formed around her feet due to the direction of the water, all done through a series of highlights and shadows layered in varying brush stroke weight and direction. While the puddle seemed to have slightly disappeared for a short while, it was briefly covered over before coming back in with white paint for details. You can find many more examples of Give and Take Away on your own by exploring my other painting videos. So I encourage you to keep looking if you’re interested in seeing my painting method and techniques in action. But now it’s time for me to talk to you about the spiritual aspect of Give and Take Away. I’m reminded of the lyrics of this song, one that might be familiar to you, but possibly not. I’ll sing highlights of it. If you want to hear the whole song, I’ll put the original artist’s name on the opening screen and you can look up the song on your favorite music platform. I’ll add lyrics also and alert you just before I sing the part that I’m talking about: I think the song says it all, but I’ll share a few thoughts of my own. When painting is a ministry, a vocation, and a calling, all of my methods and techniques are intrinsically linked to my faith. In this case, the methodology of “Give and Take Away” layering of paint reminds me of how God gives and takes away throughout our lifetime. There are happy things given, happy things taken away. And we may believe at the time that the goodness of our life has disappeared, but it’s merely covered up by a new layer. When the finishing layers are added, parts of our happy past self will return, yet we’re forever different. We are built into new people through the process of “give and take away”. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we didn’t need layers, and never experienced “take away”? But grief is a part of life. I can’t do a layered painting in one day. It takes time to add each new phase. It’s a process that sometimes goes quickly and easily, and sometimes not. There are projects that turn out as I expected and others that don’t. But if I never give up and I focus on one brush stroke at a time, while also casting my hope on the bigger picture, at the right time I’ll see a finished work of art. Painting is a language. Sometimes I feel as if my words are not enough. I encourage you to try painting as therapy. If you already have, why not start back up again? If you’re an active painter, then imagine a fresh perspective. Link the techniques and methods to spiritual truth that helps you heal from your losses and accept the things you cannot change, while also building up courage to change the things you can, and seeing joy in the blessings we have now, had before, and will again in the future. Let God layer your life with what you need to build a masterpiece. Scroll back through the first part of this blog post that seems to speak only to the method and technique of “give and take away”. Now that you’ve read about the spiritual aspect, treat the painting lecture section as a faith metaphor. Next time you paint, let your heart link your brush strokes to healing thoughts. * ~~~ Stay tuned for the next installment of my new blog series, aiming to post every Friday. Until then, God bless and keep you, this day and always. - Stories that Inspire my Art
I hope you enjoyed the painting blog series “Compare 3” that I recently shared with you. I’ll be starting a new series soon, but until then, here’s another complete painting series to explore: “Stories that Inspire my Art” blog series, 25 posts: If you haven’t already subscribed to my blog, you can sign up to be notified by email when there’s something new here. Free, cancel any time. - Painting Series
I’m starting a new blog series soon, but meanwhile, if you’ve not yet visited my previous series about painting technique, process, and composition, here’s the menu: “Compare 3” series: - Easter Painting Live 2024
In the above photo I’m waiting for the cue to paint during Easter service. The painting was done ahead of time except for one final part to finish live. The video below shows the painting’s progress up until Easter: Live video my daughter took during the Easter service: Highlights from the church’s livestream footage in the video below: Photo (below) of the finished oil painting “Jesus Christ on the Cross: the Easter Story”. The meaning of this painting is described here. And now the dove has been added, to represent the Holy Spirit, resurrection, the joy of salvation. He is RISEN! I hope you had a happy Easter with your family and friends. God bless and keep you this day and always. Subscribe to this blog in the box above, or read more blog posts below: - New Painting – Easter 2024!
My painting “Jesus Christ on the Cross; the Easter Story” is nearly finished – I will paint the last part of this LIVE on Easter Sunday, March 31 in Savannah, Georgia. The event is open to the public, but for security reasons I’ll leave the time/place details offline. Please request more information if you want to attend in person. Below is the video of the painting so far, from blank canvas to how it looks today, and under the video I’ll explain what this painting means. My new painting “Jesus Christ on the Cross; the Easter Story” tells the story of Easter. Before the cross, a woman washes Jesus’ feet with her hair. I hope that when people look at this part of the painting, they feel love and sorrow, gratitude for what Jesus did. Next, came the cross, which was emotional to paint. I couldn’t bear to invade Jesus’ privacy by painting too many details. If I’d been painting this from the perspective of Jesus, I would have had his eyes open looking up at the Father. But this is from our perspective, and his eyes are nearly closed, because we are sad to see him in anguish. The rocks at the bottom of the painting came together while praying, and represent the church. You can see the paths/aisles to the cross, where all are welcome to be at Jesus’ feet, just like that woman had done. Along the way are flowers meant to resemble those that grew wild during Biblical times known as Bird’s Foot Trefoil. Its flowers have three parts, which could represent the trinity. These flowers grow wild in the Mediterranean, in Israel, and can be considered weeds. Sometimes the world sees us as weeds, but God sees us as beautiful flowers. Redemption. Also, the flowers are yellow/gold, which symbolize the joy of the risen Savior. Note: I painted the flowers live at an event on March 5. I will share more about that at a later time. Finally, we have what happens next, and that’s a secret until Easter when I paint the final session live. Maybe you can guess what it is? I will post the finished painting on or slightly after Easter, which is only a little over a week away! Then you’ll see if your guess was right. Do you feel ready for Easter? During this season leading up to Easter, many people practice Lent, and others are reflective in different ways. What is weighing on your heart? What is lifting your spirit? God loves you and you were born for this specific day and time. May you soon feel the joy of spring and Easter, as the time is now close at hand! My roses are starting to bloom and the sun is shining upon us for more hours of the day. Joy is near! God bless you and keep you, this day and always. Subscribe to this blog so you won’t miss any new paintings. Below are previous blog posts. - New Christmas Painting 2023!
“The Shepherd and the King” – the lowly shepherd is lifted up in awe, as the king is humbled and lays his crown at Jesus’ feet “The Shepherd and the King” oil painting by artist Natalie Buske Thomas; a nativity scene featuring a shepherd, king and baby Jesus. See Natalie’s other nativity, Christmas and faith paintings here. ——————————— - New Painting – “My Home”
My front garden is almost finished so I decided to paint it yesterday. I took some creative license with it. First of all, I wanted to show you more than one perspective that, in real life, can only be seen if standing outside and turning your head to look at different angles. The mailbox is in a slightly different place than it is in reality, so that I could squish the scene enough to show multiple viewpoints, and the trellis arch appears farther back than it really is. It stands over the front steps in real life, close to the road. I also wish I could have shown you the other side of the garden, behind the fence. That’s the garden I see from my window, and where I spend most of my time when I’m in the front yard. That can be a future painting. Another thing that I wanted to show you is both the large white moon flowers AND the blue/purple morning glories at once, but as their names suggest, one is open at night and the other in the morning, not at the same time. So I compromised and painted a few of each- open at the same time- which isn’t really possible. I suppose if it were about to storm in the morning, the morning glories could still be open while the confused moon flowers are opening (they do open if the sky is dark because of storm clouds, so it’s’ not outside of the realm of possibility). In real life life, there are many more of each of those flowers but they alternate which ones we see open at any given time. The moon flowers look glorious when it’s completely dark with only the outdoor lights or moon illuminating the yard. They glow, they’re so white, and very large! Another unrealistic thing about my painting is that I didn’t paint all of the flowers or put in a lot of details. And I blurred out my neighbor’s house/yard on one side and cropped the other one off, LOL! In reality our houses are very close together. Other than those things, my painting looks a lot like our home and I’m so proud of what we’ve done. The yard was once hoarded (the neighbors have breathlessly told us stories, each worse than the last! Apparently homeless people once built a fire in the livingroom and for quite some time the owner’s family member was living in an RV on the property). There’s more to tell, but this is getting long. Anyway the hoard was (mostly) cleared by the company who fixed up this house to flip it during the hot market housing shortage. But, even with a whole construction crew putting time into it, when we bought the house the yard was still a neglected shambles of weeds, crabgrass, out of control shrubs (which I removed), and overall a shabby plot – no real grass. Bits of the hoard were still embedded in the ground, under the ground, and would pop up after a hard rain. It was depressing. I imagined the yard as I wished it could be, as a beautiful garden. My first step was to attempt to mow it, but that wasn’t a good idea (weeds too coarse and too high, with tree bits in between and who knows what lurked beneath?), so I tackled the whole thing with a weed whip. It took several times doing that before I could use the mower. It went faster with the mower, but it was heavy work (electric push mower). Even if we bought a new mower, a lifetime of mowing this ugly postage stamp yard (even though quite small, surprisingly challenging) in the steamy heat of Deep South Georgia, was a misery I promised myself I’d escape! My husband works long hours, and always has, so lawncare is usually my burden. After many years of this, with the last six of them in Georgia, I’d reached the end of my tolerance for humid heat-advisory-boasting summer mowing. My goal was to tear up ALL of the grass and replace it fully with a dream garden. And I’ve done it! I appreciate my husband going along with this. He could have said it was a crazy idea, especially since it required some trust and financial commitment (although the cost was not as high as you’d think since we did the work ourselves and found many bargains – I’ve also been propagating new plants from my current ones to grow the garden for free!). He was equally committed to making this happen and did a lot of the heavy lifting. Unlike mowing which has to be done consistently, these landscaping jobs could be fitted around his schedule. He would do the work in batches when he had the time and energy, knowing that when it was done neither of us would have to mow this miserable yard ever again! My husband put the white vinyl fence and trellis together, as well as laying the pavers. That created the template for the garden, then all of the plants are arranged both inside and outside of the fence, as well as on/up/along the fence and up the trellis. I did all the planting myself, so it’s been many hours of digging, tearing up sod, and getting my hands dirty. Where there are no pavers there is mulch, ground cover (flowering low-ground plants), various types of flowers, the roses I mentioned, holly trees, and a few evergreens. The only tree that was in the yard when we moved in was the purple/pink crepe myrtle tree in the painting. It’s been a little over a year now and the garden is almost done. There are many roses – I’d have to count them because I’ve lost track! I’ll share more about this as time goes by. There are white long stemmed ones (smells kind of like vanilla, very beautiful), dark red, bright red “Showbiz” (one of my favorites), other shades of red, yellow, and an amazing blaze of orange/red roses called “pinata”. There’s also a “Don Juan” climbing rose that I’ve trained along the fence and it’s starting to go up the trellis. There are plants that the hummingbirds like, and this spring a bluebird was fond of perching on the trellis, so I’m going to add a nesting box especially for bluebirds next year. Well, I can prattle on and on about my garden, but I’ll close. And, there’s a much larger BACK yard that I’ve been working on. Just wait and see! The land is a canvas and the landscaping is the paint. Just like art – the gardens have been healing and have brought people together in amazing ways!!!! I have many stories to share! I never thought that planting flowers could make a difference, but it has done things that are truly astonishing. Maybe it’s because I dedicated the garden to God and for whatever purpose He wanted done with our home. No matter what your canvas is, create something beautiful to share with people. God bless and keep you this day and always. May you feel loved and inspired. Just when you feel as if life hasn’t turned out the way you expected, you may be given a new role and a new chance for a spiritual masterpiece. <3 “My Home” oil painting by Natalie Buske Thomas. Subscribe to Natalie’s blog below, or browse through past blog posts. - Happy Father’s Day!
The painting in the 2 minute video above is a special family moment I first captured in a photograph when it happened. Then years later (in 2022) I painted this memory of my husband carving a pumpkin for our son. It’s times like these that make fathers so special. HAPPY FATHER’S DAY to all who serve as mentors, coaches, and loving guides for the children, grandchildren, even great-grandchildren in your life. My father died when I was young, so he didn’t get to see me grow up. Every day is precious. God bless you and keep you, this day and always. Celebrate big! - Happy Mother’s Day!
Our church had a wonderful photo op display for Mother’s Day this morning [above photo]. My two daughters posed with me (Cassie in the blue striped dress on my right, Savannah in the white and navy dress on my left). My son wasn’t there but if he were, he’d have towered over me, as he’s the tallest of the three. All three are taller than I am, but that’s not because they’re tall. They are average height. I’m just short, not much over five feet. I hope you all enjoyed your Mother’s Day. We had beautiful weather here in Savannah, Georgia and ate lunch in a park. We saw a mama goose with her fuzzy tottering babies out for a swim and a stroll. It was a nice surprise to celebrate the day! 2023 Painting Collection Update: I’ve had trouble getting back to my painting projects after Easter. If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you’ll know that we moved last spring- almost exactly a year ago- and the property needed a lot of fixing up. It’s felt like a full time job at times, and I’ve been giving most of my energy to it. We want to get back to everyday life and are trying to finish these big jobs quickly so that we don’t feel unsettled, in progress, and unfinished (spiritually and literally) for too long. Being finished with something tangible helps us feel more settled spiritually. It’s been a long journey and we’re ready to live a “normal” life again, as close to normal as one can be. So, rather than putter at a slow pace, I’m driving myself hard to finish the work as fast as I can. But, there’s really no such thing as being completely settled. Life is always in a state of change and will never be done, perfect, or safe from disruption until we reach those heavenly gates. And even then, it seems we may be given interesting work to do that keeps us joyfully alive on the other side. It helps if I retrain my mind to see life’s journey as having rest stops and forks in the road, detours, and pleasant new paths – but not finished. We’re not in a race. We’re on a pilgrimage. That mindset helps when change seems too slow, when it suddenly leaps forward too abruptly, when things happen beyond my control, and when it feels as if I can never get to the finish line, where life just flows like a gentle stream. The gentle stream doesn’t happen at a finish line, but at points along the way, like today, when I was with my family at the park and we saw mama goose and her babies. - “Jesus in the Garden”
Here’s the short (2 minute time lapse) version of my latest oil painting of Jesus called “Jesus in the Garden”. If you missed the full length video, or want to see it again, the Easter show is posted here. The lighting effects you see- where it looks like cross shapes of light or other washes of light- were not put in there by me. They aren’t added special effects, but real light passing over the canvas while I was painting. It was slow and not noticeable while I was working (except for having to squint at the canvas from time to time if the sun hit the oil paint, or having to squint because the room was getting darker when natural light was either behind a cloud or because the sun was setting soon). But, when the video is sped up, the light seems to pass quickly over the painting and sometimes makes shapes. I hope the light was meaningful to you while watching it. When unexpected acts of nature insert themselves into my painting videos, I consider it God’s contribution to the art. May God’s face shine upon you this day and always. Blessings to you and to all you hold dear. Subscribe if you want an automatic notification when there’s something new here (if you haven’t already). Recent blog posts are listed below. - Happy Easter
Blessings to you on this day! Today I’m sharing things that are stripped bare and honest. No formal gowns. Nothing fancy. Just authentic sharing from the heart. First, a clip (in the video below) that I’ve shared here before of a regular day at home when my daughter agreed to sing the hymn “In Christ Alone” with me spontaneously, no music, reading the lyrics I pulled up on the screen in case we’d forget the words. I can’t remember why I wanted to film this song for my blog that day, but sometimes it’s nice when all the music is stripped away. There’s no stage, there’s no audience. It’s just the words and human voices. Lyrics at top of the screen so you can sing along. Next, one of my early paintings. There is no video for this one, and it’s a bit strange, so I have seldom shared it. But, since I’m sharing raw and authentic things, honest things, I’ll share this one today and talk to you about what it means. Here is the version I added text to, to help explain it. This is how it felt when I was Mom’s caregiver and she asked me to scrub her feet for her. I thought I would talk about this at length but I realize I’d rather not put too many private details about the family on this public space, so I’ll have to try to communicate without the full story. Imagine if pushed to your limits on what you think you can do, feeling humbled to a breaking point, feeling alone in that point of despair. Does anyone see you? Does anyone know what you do for others, when you feel you can’t go on another minute? I felt in that second (washing her feet) that Jesus was there. No, I didn’t see Him, but it was a certain and strong impression, as if I’d see Him if I turned around (and it felt like I was not allowed to do so). I tried to paint what I saw in my mind, what I felt I’d see if I turned around. Sad eyes, full of empathy, and it felt like a message “For the least of these you do for Me”. It wasn’t a voice, it wasn’t an image, but the message and face was kind of like when we see and hear things in a dream as we’re about to wake up- when we know we are dreaming but the dream is finishing as we’re coming into a wakened state, so the conscious/unconscious merge. As if we can see things that are behind us, even though our dream self is not looking behind, we just know what is there. That’s the best way I can think of to explain it. Of course, one could argue that I was so emotionally stressed that I imagined this, or that I induced a dream-like state. That’s certainly one way to look at it. But in my heart, I know what I experienced, and I believe that I was given encouragement that we are never alone, and He sees what we do for others when we feel broken and weary. We matter, and we are loved. Just after I felt that impression, Mom looked at me in a very unusual way, as if she’d just seen Jesus too- but a stern scolding Jesus, not the empathetic one I saw. She immediately said, “You don’t have to do that, Natalie” and she never asked me to scrub her feet again. Last, I’d like to share one of the first paintings I have video of. It’s called “Dove in a Forest”. The dove is an important symbol of Christianity and Easter, and it brings peace to us in ways that are personal to each of us. I selected this one because I painted it from imagination. I didn’t have a big website presence then, or thousands of social media followers. It was before I was targeted by hate groups, before anyone knew who I was. It was when I simply painted what I felt in my heart to share. Sometimes what we share when we are being most ourselves, alone, and trying to connect our solitary thoughts with the greater family of humans is our best work. Is it my most detailed, experienced and artistically best work? No. But I believe that that’s not what God asks of us. Redemption isn’t about perfection or pleasing mankind. The beauty of Easter is freedom through mercy and grace. We cannot earn that kind of supernatural love. It is a gift. And that gift brings us peace. God bless you and your family on this Easter Sunday and always. Note: I will be starting the next round of projects for the 2023 collection called “Joyful Living”. Some of those will be short and light, others will be detailed and will take longer to complete. I hope you will enjoy this year’s series. Please subscribe if you want to be notified when there’s something new here (if you haven’t already). - The Old Rugged Cross
Sharing a few clips of favorite Easter shows and events from the past few years – the above was from Easter show 2021, singing beloved hymn “The Old Rugged Cross” with my two daughters. Scroll down for highlights and short clips of previous painting and singing specials. 2 minute time-lapse in the above video (moves very fast, then slows down at the end so you can see the painting) of “Easter Sunday with Grandma”, a special memory of attending church with my Irish grandma. It was important for me to dress up fancy, like Grandma. This painting was photographed and then separated into two different paintings, one of them focused solely on the robin and the nest. The next videos are from Easter church choir in 2019. The first song (above) is “Messiah Comes” and the one below is “Precious Lamb”. You can see that my daughters and I are the entire soprano section in that little choir. The woman on the end is the pastor’s wife, she’d sing soprano with us sometimes (like in the above video) or help out the others (like in the bottom video). The big man on the end is the pastor, who retired shortly before our move. He worked in disaster relief and at the local hospital, very good man, and his wife as well. I’m better for having known such kind and loving people. These are special memories of singing with all of my children before we moved from our temporary commuting area last May to our house in Savannah, where we plan to make our “forever” home. My oldest daughter still sings with me, but my son and youngest daughter are both knee-deep in school now and working toward their degrees, so neither of them joined choir in our new church. They do still perform with me in some of my painting shows. I appreciate and enjoy that very much. I’ll share more memories with you tomorrow, but last for today is from the first Easter painting show I did for you here on this site. It is a panoramic, 3-panel oil painting representing Easter and the trinity. It was my first taped show and the start of what I expect will continue for many more years to come. You might notice that I used “The Old Rugged” cross instrumental track that the girls and I later used to sing to (in the video at the top of this blog). So we’ll end today’s blog post the same way we began. May you feel the power of Easter, redemption, forgiveness, mercy, grace, love and everything that it means to you personally. God bless you and your family. - EASTER SHOW 2023! New painting of Jesus
My Easter show is done early this year (the video above), plenty of time for you to please share it with your family and friends. The new oil painting is called “Jesus in the Garden”. The hymns my daughter and I are singing have the lyrics on the screen and you’re invited to sing with us. God bless you and yours as we approach the joyous Easter season ahead. Subscribe to receive notifications when I post something new to this site. (This is an automated service that gives you a new blog post announcement in your e-mail and you can turn it off at any time):
