Tag Archives: blog

Serendipity

Watch this oil painting called “Time” come to life in 2 minutes (time lapse)

Two days ago I blogged “One gone, another enters” and I was reminded of the story of when Mom died… one dies, another is born. I meant to talk about this yesterday, but the toad drummer distracted me and I had to blog about him first! I figured we could all use something funny and joyful, so I went with that first.

This other story is somber and mysterious, yet uplifting and I’ve shared it here before. But I never know how many have seen the things I’ve written previously, so it’s good to share them again as new friends join us. Also, there’s a bit of an update. The story is now published as the first chapter of “Beauty of Time” and can be read free as part of the new Kindle Vella program which officially launched recently.

I thought I could copy and paste the story in, but Amazon won’t let me do that… which is a good thing I suppose. A screen capture is a bit of a mess to stitch together, so please visit the story directly. It is FREE to read “Serendipity”, and it’s a very cool template, at least in my opinion. The text feels easy on the eyes to read. Anyway, my story is here, and if you like it, there’s a little thumbs up button at the end… that no one has yet pressed. I’m not sure anyone’s even read my stories. I don’t write the type of things that are popular there. But that’s OK, I write what is true to who I am.

My story "Serendipity"
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New Painting

October 14, 2021

Are you enjoying autumn treats? My daughters love the specialty coffee and snacks that come out this time of year. They especially love their sister

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Autumn in 2021

October 4, 2021

Watch oil painting “Autumn Tree” come to life in under 2 minutes This short project began with an abstract background. Next, while it was still

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New Painting

October 2, 2021

Watch my new painting “Pumpkin Carving” come to life in just over 2 minutes (time lapse) Father and son enjoying an autumn custom of cleaning

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Update to “Downsizing our Dreams”

A bowl of peaches painting in 1 minute (time lapse)

I shared this peaches painting in the blog post “Downsizing our Dreams“, and also showed you photos of my new peach tree. The update: remember that there was only one peach on the tree, and I wasn’t sure if we’d actually be able to eat it? Well, that single peach stayed on the tree and turned from small and green to this gloriously beautiful reddish orange peachy peach! 

It was a bit under-ripe so it had the taste and crunch similar to an apple, but I didn’t want to risk not being able to try it at all (sometimes critters get into our garden before we have a chance to eat the food!). It was still very good, and amazingly fresh. The peach was so big that we all got to try it, plenty to go around. The texture was wonderful! I look forward to future harvests with our peach tree… hoping for more than one peach next year!

If you remember the blog post, the peach tree is also a spiritual metaphor for starting a new chapter in our lives. This felt like a burst of encouragement, this solitary beautiful peach, that one day there will be a bowl full of peaches, just like my painting. When we take one day at a time, the days add up. Seasons change. We then find ourselves in a new place and it will feel like a long time ago that the peach tree was small.

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New Painting

October 14, 2021

Are you enjoying autumn treats? My daughters love the specialty coffee and snacks that come out this time of year. They especially love their sister

Read More »

New Painting Show!

Don’t miss it! New oil painting revealed, variety show acts, surprises, laughter, and a very special shared human experience! Watch this blog tomorrow… or please SUBSCRIBE!

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New Painting

October 14, 2021

Are you enjoying autumn treats? My daughters love the specialty coffee and snacks that come out this time of year. They especially love their sister

Read More »

Autumn in 2021

October 4, 2021

Watch oil painting “Autumn Tree” come to life in under 2 minutes This short project began with an abstract background. Next, while it was still

Read More »

New Painting

October 2, 2021

Watch my new painting “Pumpkin Carving” come to life in just over 2 minutes (time lapse) Father and son enjoying an autumn custom of cleaning

Read More »

Are you feeling beachy?

Watch me paint “My Kids at the Beach” in 2 minutes (time lapse)

“Beachy”, according to Urban Dictionary, means something that reminds us of the beach, something beach-like. But Dictionary dotcom defines beachy as “covered with pebbles or sand”. And that’s the definition we’ll ponder in today’s blog post.

After a day at the beach, we come home covered with sand. It’s with mixed emotions that we accept this part of the bargain: when we have a seaside outing we’ll get messy. Our bodies literally carry the evidence of how we spent our time. Using this as a metaphor- because I love metaphors!- we can think of carrying sand in a figurative and spiritual sense.

When we’re feeling beachy, we’re ready and willing to accept the mess that a full life creates. It’s spiritually tidier to stick with what’s familiar to us and reign our thoughts and actions in, at a pace that is comfortable for us. But when we push ourselves outside of our comfort zone, where the waves of the sea are unpredictable and wild, and emotions get a bit messy, we experience passion and energy that we’d otherwise miss out on. It is this passion and energy that fuels enlightenment. Without it, we may stagnate. 

Ever wonder why some people seem older than they really are, while others glow with such energy that they seem much younger? Passion creates energy. Passion + Energy = Fountain of Youth. We are a product of what we produce, and we produce what we are. Passion in, Energy out. Energy in, Passion out.

When I ask myself and YOU if you feel “beachy”, I hope the answer is yes! YES, we choose the spiritual wild sea, the glorious sun- and equally the risk of storms, our reflections on the wet sand, and time spent with those we love. We choose to live a full life that is messy. We feel beachy!

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New Painting – Parrots

Watch me paint “Parrots” in 2 minutes (time lapse)

Some of you may be following my blog to be the first to see my new paintings, if so- today’s your lucky day! No talking, just painting. 😊 🎨

If you haven’t yet subscribed, please do so below. I use my oil paintings to blog about the beauty of life, philosophy and faith (I love metaphors), and this mysterious world we share. At the core of everything I share is a genuine wish for your prosperity and happiness, that the sun shine upon you and you are richly blessed. However, if what you’re looking for is art training or technique, you may find them here (blog series Compare 3) and here (free 12 week art course, take as few or as many classes as you like).

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New Painting

October 14, 2021

Are you enjoying autumn treats? My daughters love the specialty coffee and snacks that come out this time of year. They especially love their sister

Read More »

Autumn in 2021

October 4, 2021

Watch oil painting “Autumn Tree” come to life in under 2 minutes This short project began with an abstract background. Next, while it was still

Read More »

New Painting

October 2, 2021

Watch my new painting “Pumpkin Carving” come to life in just over 2 minutes (time lapse) Father and son enjoying an autumn custom of cleaning

Read More »

Worn

September 24, 2021

Watch this “Armor of God” oil painting come to life in 2 minutes (time lapse) There’s a lot going on in the world today, and

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New Painting

September 22, 2021

Watch me paint this “Autumn Leaves” oil painting in 2 minutes (time lapse) No matter what is happening in the world or in our personal

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Lion of Judah oil painting by Natalie Buske Thomas

Quiet Lion

September 21, 2021

Watch me paint this lion oil painting in 2 minutes (time lapse) I changed the music for this video today. Whatever you’re experiencing, you probably

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Not Again!

September 18, 2021

Watch this oil painting about the dark side of the animal kingdom come to life in 2 minutes (time lapse) I don’t have a painting

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Happy Grief?

September 16, 2021

Watch this hedgehog oil painting come to life in about 1 minute (time lapse) You might remember when I painted this one and shared it

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Melancholy

September 15, 2021

Watch this lighthouse painting come to life in 1 minute (time lapse) I share this one when I’m feeling melancholic, flitting back and forth between

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History

September 14, 2021

Watch this oil painting of the day (July 23, 2020) that the Statue of Liberty in New York City looked to have been struck by

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Things we See

September 11, 2021

Watch this jellyfish oil painting come to life in just over 1 minute (time lapse) You might remember when I shared this one in April?

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Inspiring

September 8, 2021

My oil painting of my daughter reading in the butterfly garden… this one doesn’t have a video because I painted this before I started filming

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Sunday Rest

September 5, 2021

Watch this Irish Angel oil painting come to life in about 2 minutes (time lapse) The image in the video above is a photograph of

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Are you my Friend?

Watch me paint “Breakfast with Friends” in 2 minutes

(time lapse)

There are powerful occasions when we bond instantly with random strangers whose timelines intersect with ours, whether briefly or stretched out for years- perhaps even lifelong from that point forward. It could be as a result of a traumatic event that we share, such as meeting in a hospital setting while suffering from similar crises, or being on the scene of the same tragedy. It could be that we share school experiences or summer camps during our childhood, military service, working together, or living in the same space. “Space” may be literal, as in the people in our home, community, work place, or school. But space may also be virtual, like what is happening right at this moment as you read my words to you. 

I painted this art called “Breakfast with Friends” for the book project “50 Oil Paintings Inspired by Savannah, Georgia“. It was meant to illustrate the section about coffee houses and tea shops in the area, but I don’t go to any such shops. I have visited only one, and it was because I was in the city for a one-time event that restricted my movements for a few hours. I wasn’t at the coffee shop organically, but simply because it was near and I was “stuck” on foot, waiting for someone. So, I felt it wasn’t genuine for me to paint a coffee shop as if I have authentic fond memories of patronage.

Instead, I painted how I really take my coffee (or tea… these days I drink more tea than coffee, even though I prefer coffee). I have breakfast at my keyboard. As I’m waking up, I catch up with whatever I may have missed while I was sleeping. Then, I connect with people. Back when I painted this, I was on social media and I’d post threads that many of the same people would engage in. 

These people felt like my co-workers, as I work from home and I’d chat with them as I started my work day. In the background, I was working. I’d flip tabs to check back on conversations. It helped the more tedious and boring aspects of my work go by faster, and kept me on track when doing routine tasks. I’d hold myself accountable by posting what I was doing that day, knowing I’d feel like a fraud if I didn’t actually follow through.

I stayed on track with my goals and ambitions because I’d announce my plans, knowing I’d feel pressure to prove that I’d done as I said I’d do. Because of this, my virtual friends made me better. Of course work wasn’t the only connection between us. I was a good listener when someone had something heavy on their heart, and I hope that I was of service and comfort to my friends. Usually though, we didn’t speak directly to each other, only “around” each other, and that apparently is enough to feel among friends.

Sometimes all it takes is to share our thoughts in a space like this, if we sense that people receive our words in camaraderie. There is a kinship among other creatives, writers, and artists, and anyone who appreciates creative work. There is a connection simply by reading or seeing the works of others.

I’ve mentioned several times, in various context, that I’m no longer active on any social media. The only place I engage in a virtual space is here, on my blog. My breakfast routine is now shared with you. Are you my friend? Without realizing it, the answer is YES- if you come to my space and feel goodwill vibes, fellowship, and intimacy that comes about when we feel understood. If you feel a connection to my words or my art, if you feel uplifted after spending time with me, then YES, you are my friend. If this is you, even if you never reveal yourself in a comment, my “Breakfast with Friends” painting is a tribute to YOU.  

I’d pour you a cuppa and throw on an extra egg or two… although today I had a caramel-salt mini cheesecake crumble muffin for breakfast. I made these special treats for an event on Sunday and I noticed that the crumble reminded me of a coffee cake, so of course I shall now have the leftovers for breakfast! So, in the revised painting, imagine a splendid muffin sitting there. Good morning, dear friends!

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