Tag Archives: painting of lambs

Be a Lamb

Watch me paint these lambs in 50 seconds (time lapse)

Yesterday’s blog post was “Be a Lion“, part 2 of “Are you a lion or a lamb?” Today, we’ll take on part 3. Let’s ponder why being a lamb is important to a happy life.

The definition of the word lamb, as it applies to humans as per The Free Dictionary:

  1. a sweet, mild mannered person, a dear
  2. a person easily deceived; one who can be duped or cheated especially in financial matters
  3. a person who is innocent, meek, good
  4. like a lamb to the slaughter (without resistance, innocently)

Of these, we don’t mean 1, 2, or 4. Of course we don’t want to be deceived or destroyed. Nor do we aim to be “mild mannered”. No, we are also lions! For the purpose of this blog post, what we mean by “lamb” is a person who is innocent, meek, and good.

  1. Innocent

There are two paths to innocence:

  • Not guilty of wrongdoing
  • Forgiven

A person who is innocent because he’s done nothing wrong, or declared innocent because he’s been pardoned is free. Being a lamb is about service and sacrifice. It’s difficult to serve from a position of slavery. Freedom isn’t a selfish choice; it’s our responsibility to remain free.

     2. Meek

Meek also has more than one meaning. A person who is meek may be “easily imposed on; submissive”, which is the definition that many people think of. This is not what being a lamb is about. “Showing patience and humility; gentle” is the definition we mean. 

Why are we happier when we are innocent, meek, and good? What do the traits of a lamb have to do with living an ideal life? Goodness, mercy, and prosperity are often grouped together, along with blessings and a secure future. We can meditate on these things as spiritual gifts, but who we are in spirit and the rewards we manifest spiritually also impact the natural world.

It’s an upside down world when evil people are depicted as exciting, popular, and living ideal human lives, when the opposite is true. Evil is wrapped in hate. Malice is born of anger, bitterness, resentment, impatience, vanity, hostility, and no moral accountability. Does any of that seem happy? Not only are they themselves not radiating happiness, but their tendency to control and dominate people leads to misery of many others as well.

     3. Good

Whereas, when we see a good person, we find peace, patience, perseverance, humility, and inner joy. These are traits that seed a happy life. Not only do such people manifest happiness in their own lives, but they inspire other people as well. This is why we must be lambs. The world needs innocent, meek, good people. Lambs reassure and encourage others. Haven’t you often heard people say, “It makes me feel better to know that there are still good people in the world”?

Goodness Checklist

  • Tell the truth, even when it’s unpopular, uncomfortable, risky
  • Be generous with your time, talent, and treasure, even when you have little to offer
  • Do what you say: be someone people can trust
  • If a crisis situation presents itself, be heroic

Lambs don’t lie, aren’t selfish or vain, and don’t betray our fellow humans. We don’t betray each other by arriving late to relieve them from work, or to meet with them socially. We don’t betray them by not completing a chore that we promised we’d do. On a grander scale, we don’t betray them by complying with oppressive actions that will then grow in greater power over more people as a result of our selfish cowardly compliance. And we certainly don’t shame, bully, and coerce others to comply with coordinated propaganda campaigns to control the populace. Lambs do not terrorize anyone in the name of “virtue”, “health”, or “science”. The actions of good people match the words from their mouths.

Lambs live a happy life because they embody the character of happiness. Happiness doesn’t hold grudges or seek revenge on those who they perceive to be enemies. Happiness doesn’t have an unquenchable thirst to control others, or a hunger to dominate them. Happiness gives space and freedom to all. Happiness is sweet, humble, and kind. Anger and happiness are not compatible, nor is hate or tyranny compatible with happiness. One cannot oppress others when one is happy, as actions of malice aren’t created from a state of happiness. It is like planting a pumpkin seed and expecting a tomato. Malice doesn’t seed happiness; love does.

Goodness brings the fairness and joy we seek, and our joy is then shared beyond our own lives. Although we make a difference when we are as a lion, we are incomplete without the character of a lamb. Wise people from long ago understood that the pursuit of happiness is an important freedom. For while evil has been made popular and lucrative, it is a lie. Happiness is seeded from good. Therefore, goodness- not evil- is the state of being that is truly exciting and ideal.  

Playing with Lambs

First, the oil painting, then the story behind it… make sure you don’t miss the most joyful 2 minutes of your day, a video of us playing a game with our real life lambs!

Watch me paint “Spring Lambs” in under a minute (time lapse)

“I mentioned earlier that we used to own a hobby farm [in rural Minnesota]. We had two little Babydoll Southdown lambs named George and Harry, after the Bailey brothers from ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’. They were sweet and lively. They loved playing hide and seek and chasing after pumpkins- that they’d then eat. We spoiled them with treats and they’d bleat for us to give them food or spend time with them.
One day, when my youngest was about seven years old, George- now a fully grown and heavy sheep- blocked the gate so that my daughter couldn’t leave the pasture. He hated when she was done playing and didn’t want her to go. He was stubborn and even treats weren’t enough to persuade him to move. I had to push and prod him from outside of the fence. Finally he resigned himself to her leaving and took the treats I offered.
When we moved down South, I didn’t expect to see this specific breed of sheep again, or any sheep really, but there are nearby family farms that raise Babydoll Southdown sheep and other breeds. Rural areas are less than an hour’s drive from the heart of Savannah metro.”

– from the book “50 Oil Paintings Inspired by Savannah, Georgia” by artist Natalie Buske Thomas

Update to the above story…

Selling our hobby farm was one of the saddest days of my life. Government policies led to entire companies moving out of the country, which ghosted little towns like the one we lived near. My husband lost his job, and our dream farm that we’d worked many years to build by cleaning up old homes and working very hard to sell them, by scrimping and doing without things we wanted and needed… all to have to give it up and give away our precious animals… and move to a city, to rent a small house, no pets allowed, and only a patio plot to be outside… where the sounds are no longer the winds across the prairie grasses, the coo of pheasants or the bleat of lambs… but the roar from the nearby airport and freeway, booming car stereos, and the endless delivery and service trucks slamming doors and revving engines.

At that time, my mom had also just passed away, and my role as her caregiver was over. I’d also lost my job as a the teacher and director of a small private arts school, as my studio was in the house we were selling. In addition, my firstborn was leaving home for college.

All of these changes and losses were piling up, but right around the corner a new journey was in the making. I hadn’t looked at my happy videos of our hobby farm and our beloved lambs in years, as I didn’t have the heart. But today I dug through them to find this little gem to share with you (the short video below), and I am relieved by how I could enjoy the memories without feeling the loss. Those were good days, yet many good things in life are fleeting. The temporary nature of things that we may pine to be “forever” should never destroy the joy we experienced, and will always have; should we choose to focus on the enduring legacy. Every loss carries with it the gains from each chapter in our lives, and those are ours forever.

Watch me and my daughter play a game of tag with these adorable lambs!

I hope you’re enjoying my blog series, “Stories that Inspire my Art”. There are many, many more stories to tell! I’ll post these daily, but if you prefer not to check back to see if there’s something new, please subscribe to my blog to be notified when there’s a new blog post ready.

Painting Social

“Social” has several different meanings, but what I mean here is how we communicate and interact with each other through talking, writing, reading, art, music, entertainment, touch, gift giving, selfless actions, and more. In our first example, “Redwing Blackbirds” are having a chat. Painting the act of talking is depicted by the tilt of the head. The speaker’s face is positioned upward, or forward, while the listener’s face is tipped downward (the reverse direction works well too). Angling the head or body position shows interaction between the pair or group.

Their body language speaks of an active conversation going on between the two birds. A loud or energetic exchange can be conveyed by painting a widely opened mouth (beak) and contrasting body positions. Their eyes and feathers are also expressive, mainly by the positioning of the lines and shapes. The speaking bird (extended body position) looks to be standing firmly for whatever he’s so passionate about, while the listening bird (bent body position) seems resigned to getting an earful. Notice the feet? The speaking bird is perched firmly, while the listening bird is clutching in a slouched manner, but neither look like they’re about to fly away any time soon. Engaged in rapt conversation, this pair looks like they could be old friends.

These affectionate “Spring Lambs” express their friendship through woolly hugs and shy smiles. Painting social touch can be depicted through texture and brush strokes. Soft textures, through fabrics (or fur, feathers, wool), combined with smooth brush strokes (skin, faces, eyes) can convey affection. A slight smile and a subtle tilt to the eyes suggests positive social interaction.

The highest social level, or perhaps we should say “the deepest depth”, is communicating through selfless acts of love. In the above “Angel Releasing Dove” video, you can watch how I made this art with shells and a dove from a sand dollar. Painting extended limbs and outstretched bodies conveys the act of letting go, releasing energy and emotion, and making a full, without abandon, commitment to an action. The shell “wings” are in both the back and the front, seemingly to support the angel as she leans forward to release the dove. Perhaps we can view this as a metaphor: when we choose selfless acts of love, we will not be left to fall, as we will be held up by angel’s wings.

“Spring Lambs”

Watch Natalie paint this art, and all 50 oil paintings in this collection (menu below)

“I mentioned earlier that we used to own a hobby farm. We had two little Babydoll Southdown lambs named George and Harry, after the Bailey brothers from “It’s a Wonderful Life”. They were sweet and lively. They loved playing hide and seek and chasing after pumpkins- that they’d then eat. We spoiled them with treats and they’d bleat for us to give them food or spend time with them.

One day, when my youngest was about seven years old, George- now a fully grown and heavy sheep- blocked the gate so that my daughter couldn’t leave the pasture. He hated when she was done playing and didn’t want her to go. He was stubborn and even treats weren’t enough to persuade him to move. I had to push and prod him from outside of the fence. Finally he resigned himself to her leaving and took the treats I offered.

When we moved down South, I didn’t expect to see this specific breed of sheep again, or any sheep really, but there are nearby family farms that raise Babydoll Southdown sheep and other breeds. Rural areas are less than an hour’s drive from the heart of Savannah metro.”

Spring Lambs oil painting by Natalie Buske Thomas

List of Oil Paintings in this Collection, linking to their pages here on the site, and also citing physical pages in the hardcover book:

  1. City of Savannah
    1.1 “City of Savannah” page 6-7
    1.2 “Natalie at the Fountain” page 8-11
    1.3 “House in Savannah” page 12-13
    1.4 “Guardian Lion” page 14-15
    1.5 “Autumn Angel” page 16-17
    1.6 “Steamship Savannah” page 18-19
    1.7 “Boiled Peanuts for Sale” page 20-21
    1.8 “Bulldog” page 22-23
    1.9 “Serenity Piano” page 24-25
    1.10 “Painting Colors” page 26-27
  2. Tybee Island
    2.1 “I Love Life” page 30-31
    2.2 “Living Sand Dollar” page 32-33
    2.3 “Matthew the Sea Turtle” page 34-35
    2.4 “Fungie the Dolphin” page36-37
    2.5 “Angel Releasing Dove” page 38-39
    2.6 “Flag on Tybee Island” page 40-41
    2.7 “My Kids at the Beach” page 42-43
    2.8 “Lighthouse near Tybee Island” page 44-45
  3. Birds, Reptiles and Amphibians
    3.1 “Gator and Snake” page 48-49
    3.2 “Tree Frog” page 50-51
    3.3 “Lizard” page 52-53
    3.4 “Blue Heron” page 54-55
    3.5 “Hummingbird” page 56-57
    3.6 “Painted Bunting” page 58-59
  4. Flowers and Trees
    4.1 “Pink Flower” page 62-63
    4.2 “Porch Flowers” page 64-65
    4.3 “Clover” page 66-67
    4.4 “Butterfly Tree Flowers” page 68-69
    4.5 “Savannah Tree” page 70-71
    4.6 “Dancer in a Floral Forest” page 72-73
    4.7 “Come to the Garden” page 74-77
    4.8 “Cherokee Rose” page 78-79
  5. Faith and Food
    5.1 “Floral Cross” page 82-83
    5.2 “Lenten Flower” page 84-85
    5.3 “Celtic Cross” page 86-87
    5.4 “Mary of God’s Favor” page 88-89
    5.5 “Lion and the Lamb” page 90-91
    5.6 “Breakfast with Friends” page 92-93
    5.7 “Peaches in a Bowl” page 94-95
    5.8 “Peach Cookies” page 96-97
    5.9 “Peach Pie” page 98-99
  6. Seasons and Weather
    6.1 “Pumpkins and Mums” page 102-103
    6.2 “Autumn Cottage” page 104-105
    6.3 “Spring Lambs” page 106-107
    6.4 “Peach Tree Hurricane” page 108-109
    6.5 “Eye of the Storm” page 110-111
    6.6 “God’s Promise” page 112-113
    6.7 “We Gather Together” page 114-115
    6.8 “Savannah Snow” page 116-117
    6.9 “I Believe in Santa” page 118-119

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