Tag Archives: peaceful

Nature’s Music

See oil painting “Dancer in a Floral Forest” come alive in 2 minutes (time lapse)

This painting was an experiment. A talented indie composer shared his work online and I asked if I could use it to paint what I see when I listen to his beautiful composition. This was the result.

It’s hard for me to put into words what this emotion is. It’s when we have a peaceful soul that can’t be shaken by temporary circumstances, earthly hardships, or any other setback. It’s a state of being that is expressed by “it is well with my soul”. And then, one day, a beautiful laugh is shared between loved ones, or a spontaneous encounter in nature occurs- like seeing a rose opening, a butterfly or hummingbird flitting past, or deer curiously peeking at us from a clearing- or we hear good news that changes our lives forever, and that’s when this joyful moment melds with a peaceful soul: our happiness bubbles over, creating freedom that dances in a floral forest.

Today I experienced a few moments that felt alive with such energy that it was “almost” time for a dance like that. I am so close to being HOME after so many years of temporary living. It’s still not a done deal and it could all fall through, but what if- no matter how horribly this forced move journey began- everything goes according to plan? Let the dance begin!

Show Plans

See this 3 panel panoramic oil painting landscape for Easter Show 2020 come alive in 2 minutes

It’s that time of year again – I’m working on the new Easter Show 2022. The above painting was for my first holiday show, Easter 2020. Since then I’ve done several shows, including last year’s Easter Show 2021 (below):

This year’s Easter 2022 Show painting is planned, the songs are chosen, and I already have the start of my dress. I’m making the rest of it myself and I hope you’ll love it. I figured I better up my game and make one-of-a-kind gowns instead of missing an opportunity to be creative.

These holiday shows are separate from the new shows I plan to do on a regular (weekly is the plan) basis. Those have been temporarily postponed due a number of things that came up and bumped it off schedule. I will put it back on schedule as soon as I can. You might recall I mentioned an inspection I had to prepare for that came up without much notice, and I’ve been planting seeds indoors for my garden. I have limited space and need to use containers because I don’t own this property and can’t put anything into the ground. This makes for a good challenge, and I’m fine with that. Bring it on! I already have a lot of goodies sprouting. But, it is a lot of work to grow our own food and I have to fit it in quickly so I don’t miss the optimal window for our growing zone (8b). Anyway, I didn’t want you to think that the new vlog/green screen show I was talking about has been postponed indefinitely. It’s only on hold, especially since this has now merged with the Easter show prep.

If you’ve followed me for a while, you know that I say what I mean, do what I say. I will deliver the show I promised soon. Until then, new paintings as I finish them, and in a little over a month I’ll launch the Easter show. Busy times. It helps us escape the gloom and doom of this world when we focus on positive, productive, happy things. But I can’t always measure up, and some days I’m just in a nasty funk. Today was sort of like that. I got it together by the afternoon, partly because I was looking through our Easter song choices and it’s hard to stay sullen and resentful when seeing such beautiful lyrics of hope and promise.

Stay strong. God bless you and yours. Spring will be here soon! May the new season bring peaceful times for this dark world.

HONK!

Watch this oil painting of geese come alive in 1 minute (time lapse)

HONK! This is the painting video I uploaded to YouTube today. You might remember when I first shared this, and I blogged about Canadian Geese in our yard? My daughter drew these geese as seen from her bedroom window. I loved her simple, peaceful pen illustration and asked to use it for inspiration for a painting. Collaborative mother/daughter art- her vision and style combined with my painting. I plan to bring more of her drawings to life in the future.

Daughter’s illustration (top) and my oil painting on canvas (bottom)

The Canadian Geese painting above, set to music that sounds like honking, seems serendipitously timely. I often paint things that can’t possibly be current, political, spiritual, or in any way controversial until life moves slightly into the future, and then there I go again, painting trouble! Sometimes I willfully add my voice to an issue, other times I stumble into it and the connection might be subtle.

Video I took of geese in our yard, set to music, relaxing warm day

I wish we were simply left alone like these geese. See how the tiny hummingbird comes in at toward the end of the video? I’m standing very near the hummingbird and those geese. None of them seem to mind my presence. Why can’t we live in peace like this with fellow humans? HONK! I want to be as free as these geese.

Hundreds of posts and paintings to browse!

Loading…

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.

Restful Sunday

Watch oil painting “Sheltering Tree” come alive in 2 minutes (time lapse)

This one has been updated with different music and uploaded to YouTube. I’m slowly working on getting all of my oil paintings on YT. I’m also headed into a busy and productive week. I should have another new painting to share and I might have the first episode of the new show done too. We’ll see what the week brings! I hope you have a peaceful day and are feeling good about the week ahead. God bless you and your family.

I’m HOME!
Moving Day!
MOVING TOMORROW!
S T R E S S E D
BAD DAY
Super Laundry!
Happy Day!
Bandits!
Easy Going
Joyful Memories!
WOOT!
Wild Days

Peace be with You

See oil painting “Dove in a Forest” come alive in less than 2 minutes (time lapse)

This is one of my earlier paintings. It remains a favorite for some of you. I’ve worked hard today and I’m tired- are you? This art expresses how I feel at the moment: subdued, yet expectant (hopeful), quietly confident (letting nature and time take its course, faithful), and peaceful.

My work on the show is wrapping up. It will be delivered on schedule. My goal is to launch it several days before Christmas to give you time to share it with your family and friends. Until the show is finished, I’ll be putting in long days. It will all be worth it and I hope you enjoy the show!

Sneak Peek

Watch “Painting Colors” come alive in 1 minute (time lapse)

I’m still enjoying the holiday weekend, but this morning I was by myself while the family slept in, so I had time to dabble with something I’ve been working on: a video channel for binge watching all of my painting videos. It will mean hours and hours of peaceful videos, so you’ll need to refill your coffee or other favorite beverages many times. The new page is set up with a few playlists started. This project will take several days to finish, as there are over 200 videos to upload. If you want a sneak peek before the video channel is officially linked and released to the public, here you go! Video Channel (in progress).

As usual, I’ll post my paintings here on the blog, rotating my older ones and chatting with you about things on my mind. When I have a new painting finished, I’ll put “New Painting” in the title so you know it’s fresh off the canvas, never before seen. But, if you’d like to see a whole series of videos without clicking back and forth, the new video channel will be a good place to be. You can easily spend all night there when all the videos are uploaded!

If you’ve already subscribed to me, thank you. It helps knowing that you are there, waiting for me to post something new. It applies pressure to me to keep working toward my lifetime goal of 1,000 finished oil paintings. If you’ve not yet subscribed, please do so. There’s no such thing as too many friends! 🙂

Melancholy

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 faint optimism and bittersweet sentiment, and a gloomy premonition that something bad is about to happen. This sense of doom is partly an empathetic response to the way the wind is shifting on the world stage on a particular day, and partly a personal, individual perspective that is complicated and unique to me (although my own emotions are often astonishingly in sync with other fellow humans, even with people I’ve never met). 

Melancholy can be channeled into beautiful things. I tend to be more introspective and lost in my art when I’m feeling a bit blue. Depression or a funk is a different state, and I find no benefit to emotions so low as to be unproductive and damaging to one’s health. So I’m definitely not advocating for sadness that causes a person to have difficulty leading a normal life. What I mean is the kind of sadness that put us in a quiet, restful state that may evolve into empathy; a profound connection to fellow humans and our shared plight. This state of being is a good foundation for creating art.

When you’re feeling a bit blue, embrace those emotions by channeling them into a project you can escape into, as if alone at sea on a peaceful cloudy day, in which you can just see the comforting glow from a lighthouse. You won’t lose your way home. Stay in the cold murky waters for a while. Take in the beauty of the moment; as our joy is defined by our sadness. When we don’t know sadness, we may struggle to fully appreciate joy.

When we are weary, the lighthouse will lead us back to the shore. We can rest, and let our breath flow out, relaxed, letting go of all of our concerns. As we lay our heads on our pillows that night, we sleep deeply; our fears lose their grip, our sadness lifts, and when we waken in the morning our energy is restored. 

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

I’m HOME!

May 11, 2022

All moved in and my Internet is up. Did you miss me? I missed you! I’ll catch up when I can. Just wanted to post

Moving Day!

May 6, 2022

This looks nothing like the house we’re closing on, but our house IS in Savannah. I had no idea when I painted this several years

MOVING TOMORROW!

May 5, 2022

WHEW! The issues are finally resolved and our delayed close on the house will happen TOMORROW! Tomorrow is moving day! I shall fly like this

S T R E S S E D

May 4, 2022

Today was a highly stressful day. We still haven’t closed on the house and we are now running out of time for the moving pods,

BAD DAY

May 3, 2022

Well, there must have been a bad moon a’rising because today was a horrible day. The close on our house was cancelled, and then thankfully

Super Laundry!

May 2, 2022

My son is college age now, not a little boy like in this art for children’s book “Grandpa Smiles” (about my dad, who died before

Happy Day!

May 1, 2022

Today we had the opportunity to bring the kids to the house we’ll be closing on. Until now, they’d only seen the pictures and video.

Bandits!

April 30, 2022

These birds have been coming around and stealing our strawberries! What a disappointment! I was enjoying a fresh berry with Cool Whip as a snack

Easy Going

April 29, 2022

This painting was a “free paint” project, in which there is no reference, plan, or agenda other than to let the paints flow. I start

Joyful Memories!

April 28, 2022

Moving is so hard and bittersweet. The passage of time is on display with every box that is packed, every room that is emptied. Today

WOOT!

April 27, 2022

“Fred” was my dad’s nickname for me. This painting was inspired by a black and white photograph he took to complete an assignment for a

Wild Days

April 26, 2022

Ever feel that you live your life with reckless abandon, like these wild horses? What do they care about consequences or the worries of tomorrow?

aww

April 25, 2022

My daughter brought me one of the boxes she packed herself for our move, for me to load onto the POD container. She said it

Nature’s Music

April 24, 2022

This painting was an experiment. A talented indie composer shared his work online and I asked if I could use it to paint what I

Ooh, Pretty!

April 23, 2022

These flowers are probably the closest thing I have right now to what my new “Freedom Rose” looks like, but imagine the buds and open

LOL, Pumpkin

April 22, 2022

I planted a couple of pumpkins in grow bags and decided that I’d take those to the new house. Well, one of the pumpkins decided

Bearing Up

April 21, 2022

The PODS container was dropped off today. I spent hours packing the first round of our household, mostly by myself. I felt victorious, like this

Lead me HOME!

April 20, 2022

When I painted this city of Savannah oil painting, I had no idea that I’d one day live not very far from this fountain square.

Strawberry Mine!

April 19, 2022

Guess what’s ready to eat already? I had the most delicious vibrant red fresh strawberry with a bit of whipped cream, MMMM! But you know

Moving Soon!

April 18, 2022

Oil painting “Autumn Cottage”, time lapse video to watch Natalie paint this art, journey of move during housing crisis

Be Thou my Vision

April 16, 2022

I hope you are enjoying this Easter weekend with loved ones and are feeling peace in your spirit. I’ve uploaded the Easter Show 2022 in

HAPPY NEWS!

April 14, 2022

Thought this joyful hymn was a good choice to celebrate my good news update: WE GOT THE HOUSE! We still have the inspection and the

Missed it?

April 12, 2022

If you missed last year’s Easter Show, here it is. It’s quite different from the 2022 show in many ways, but yet the general format

Show on YouTube

April 11, 2022

My Easter Painting Variety Show is now on YouTube, for those who prefer that platform for easy sharing. The best video quality is here on

Holy Week Begins

April 10, 2022

On this Palm Sunday, may you feel encouragement for the week ahead and the hope that Easter and spring instills. Today we put down an

EASTER SHOW LAUNCHED!

April 9, 2022

HERE IT IS! Launching my new Easter Painting Show now, to give you time to share this special video with your family, friends, and social

Show Update

April 8, 2022

I finished the final taping segment for my Easter show today! When the video is finished I will launch the show, giving you time to

Faith over Fear

April 7, 2022

Well, we finally got our pre-approval, but the house hunting news is bleak. First of all, we couldn’t get the loan type we wanted, and

They’re Back!

April 6, 2022

Today was a horrible day- seeing a painted bunting was one of the few good things about it, so I’ll focus on that. Painted buntings

Packing Up

April 5, 2022

I spent several hours today packing up my art in preparation for our unexpected move. You can probably recognize ones I’ve shared with you (in

Gator Tale

April 4, 2022

Something interesting happened yesterday at the sale. It was the last day of the 2-day event and I was discouraged because we still hadn’t had

Exceeded the Goal!

April 3, 2022

It was a day at the beach! No, it was a day spent in the driveway selling our things in the yard sale, but my

What a Day!

April 2, 2022

I’m so exhausted, I feel like this jellyfish painting- surreal and floating. Guess what? Day one of the sale (I mentioned this yesterday) already exceeded

No Word Yet

April 1, 2022

Our weather here is now beautiful, after being cold or raining for quite a stretch. I’m feeling like my tree landscape oil painting above- clear

Whirlwind Day!

March 31, 2022

Mellow music, marshmallows on a stick, and dancing flames – a fire can be welcoming and sentimental – childhood memories, family vacations, and warmth on

Wish me Luck!

March 29, 2022

Yes, these are just weeds, but when I saw the dainty sprig of clover and its pretty delicate yellow flower, I thought of shamrocks and

Resistant to Change

March 28, 2022

Well, guess who’s cranky about our unexpected move? Mr. Cardinal. He was giving me the sulky grump face all afternoon because I moved things around

They’re Back!

March 27, 2022

The hummingbirds are BACK! LOL, I’ll tell you how I encountered their return. I was preparing for our unexpected move, and taking down the garden

Out of our Control

March 26, 2022

Tonight I’m disappointed that the houses we contact a listing agent about are already spoken for, before we even get a chance. Listings have dozens

Small Signs of Hope

March 25, 2022

When I painted the double rainbow painting, I was disappointed that I didn’t paint it in a more realistic way, but it was meant to

It’s a No

March 24, 2022

The update to yesterday’s post “Feeling Froggy?” is: no. No, the home owner is not willing to extend our lease by one month so that

Feeling Froggy?

March 23, 2022

‘Tis the season- the tree frogs are back! I’d seen a few earlier, but they were hiding in the drawer of my potting bench or

Spring of Hope

March 22, 2022

Today was much better! It was a beautifully gorgeous sunny and warm spring day. I was right, my next blog post isn’t a dreary “Losing

Losing Hope

March 21, 2022

Well, the rental market has spiked out of control! The cheapest rent for the number of bedrooms we need, expanded to a wide area that

First Day of Spring!

March 20, 2022

How did you spend the day? I sang a few hymns with a virtual church who didn’t know I was there on the other side,

30 Seconds

March 19, 2022

A lot can happen in 30 seconds. Here, through the magic of time lapse, this tree that I painted when we were living in a

Letting Go – Again

March 18, 2022

I’ve used this same painting for a very similar blog post called “Letting Go”. In that post I said these wise words “We may not

Quiet Presence

Watch me paint “Blue Heron” in under 1 minute (time lapse)

He’s back! If you’ve been following me for a while, you might remember this story:

“Astrikingly beautiful blue heron appeared at the lagoon one day. I quickly took its picture to paint later. This is a different style from how I usually paint. It looks like a watercolor because I was trying to get away with using cheap paints that turned out to be watery and hard to work with. This was a happy accident, because the watercolor-like effect captured the mood.

He has only made one more appearance that I know of, but I hope he will return next spring. On the day he arrived, he just happened to be standing at the water’s edge when the light reflected the colors of the trees in a streaky wave of color. He was all alone, with no other birds or creatures in sight, which only added to his mysterious presence.”                                                                    – from book “50 Oil Paintings Inspired by Savannah, Georgia” by artist Natalie Buske Thomas

He has since come back a few times. He has a quiet presence, but somehow we become aware of him. His energy is so peaceful. It inspires a hopeful feeling, as if good things are soon to come.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

New Painting – Deer

Enter the serenity of this peaceful scene; overcast skies, green foliage, and a wild creature peering through a clearing in the woods. Is it early morning or is the evening dusk settling in? Can you almost smell the fresh dewy air and hear the rustle of the leaves?

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

Another painting done for the 2021 collection “50 Oil Paintings Inspired by Nature“. This brings me one painting closer to my lifetime goal of 1k finished paintings!

I’m starting a new painting today that is quite a departure from animal art, but still loosely fits into the theme of “inspired by nature”. I hope to have the new one ready to share on Sunday. Tomorrow this blog will resume the series “Stories that Inspire my Art” which will run through the summer (on the days when I don’t have a new painting to share).

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

BAD DAY

May 3, 2022

Well, there must have been a bad moon a’rising because today was a horrible day. The close on our house was cancelled, and then thankfully

Read More »

Happy Day!

May 1, 2022

Today we had the opportunity to bring the kids to the house we’ll be closing on. Until now, they’d only seen the pictures and video.

Read More »

Bandits!

April 30, 2022

These birds have been coming around and stealing our strawberries! What a disappointment! I was enjoying a fresh berry with Cool Whip as a snack

Read More »

Easy Going

April 29, 2022

This painting was a “free paint” project, in which there is no reference, plan, or agenda other than to let the paints flow. I start

Read More »

WOOT!

April 27, 2022

“Fred” was my dad’s nickname for me. This painting was inspired by a black and white photograph he took to complete an assignment for a

Read More »

Wild Days

April 26, 2022

Ever feel that you live your life with reckless abandon, like these wild horses? What do they care about consequences or the worries of tomorrow?

Read More »

aww

April 25, 2022

My daughter brought me one of the boxes she packed herself for our move, for me to load onto the POD container. She said it

Read More »

Ooh, Pretty!

April 23, 2022

These flowers are probably the closest thing I have right now to what my new “Freedom Rose” looks like, but imagine the buds and open

Read More »

New Painting – Bird in Forest

Watch me paint “Bird in Forest” in about 2 minutes (time lapse)

Sometimes I look at a photo or a real life object when I paint, other times I paint from my imagination and just let the art grow. This is one of the “from imagination” kind of paintings. I put music on and let the paints flow. As usual, we can apply this to our life. Some days, we schedule ourselves into a routine, and other days we let the minutes flow.

 

Try to “live by imagination” this weekend. Let the time flow. You may find yourself in a peaceful spiritual forest, restored and ready for the challenges of the week ahead.

Don't miss new paintings!

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

BAD DAY

May 3, 2022

Well, there must have been a bad moon a’rising because today was a horrible day. The close on our house was cancelled, and then thankfully

Read More »

Happy Day!

May 1, 2022

Today we had the opportunity to bring the kids to the house we’ll be closing on. Until now, they’d only seen the pictures and video.

Read More »

Bandits!

April 30, 2022

These birds have been coming around and stealing our strawberries! What a disappointment! I was enjoying a fresh berry with Cool Whip as a snack

Read More »

Easy Going

April 29, 2022

This painting was a “free paint” project, in which there is no reference, plan, or agenda other than to let the paints flow. I start

Read More »

WOOT!

April 27, 2022

“Fred” was my dad’s nickname for me. This painting was inspired by a black and white photograph he took to complete an assignment for a

Read More »

Wild Days

April 26, 2022

Ever feel that you live your life with reckless abandon, like these wild horses? What do they care about consequences or the worries of tomorrow?

Read More »

aww

April 25, 2022

My daughter brought me one of the boxes she packed herself for our move, for me to load onto the POD container. She said it

Read More »

Ooh, Pretty!

April 23, 2022

These flowers are probably the closest thing I have right now to what my new “Freedom Rose” looks like, but imagine the buds and open

Read More »

Bearing Up

April 21, 2022

The PODS container was dropped off today. I spent hours packing the first round of our household, mostly by myself. I felt victorious, like this

Read More »