Fireweed on a larger scale....

Working on a commissioned painting....a larger painting of a painting I created before. This is a 24x36 painting of Fireweed. I spent today creating the background. Will start to pull more color in tomorrow on the bark of the trees, the evergreens in the background, and the fireweed will start to come alive in the foreground.

If you are interested in a commissioned painting, please contact me at bethlendermanfineart@gmail.com. Thank you!

Psalm 127:2

Just as the day is ending in this painting, so is my day ending.

I am bad about not getting enough rest. I get up early. Work all day. Come home and tend to home and family. Try to spend time painting. Spend time with family. Do the laundry. Pay the bills. The list goes on and on, just like your list goes on and on.

This is my life every day, and I'm sure your life is pretty much the same. We all struggle with so many things to do and little time for rest for our weary souls.

I recently read a Bible verse a friend of mine posted on Facebook that really spoke to me regarding this:

"It is vain for you to rise up early, to take rest late, to eat the bread of (anxious) toil -- for He gives (blessings) to His beloved in sleep." Psalm 127:2 Amplified

Wow. Kinda makes you want to sleep a little more, doesn't it?

Here's to rest and blessings in Him. Good night!

A tweet by Donald Miller....

One of my favorite authors, Donald Miller, recently tweeted:

"By writing, you are saying to God 'I agree with you, you gave me a voice and the gift was not in vain.'"

I love what this says. By painting, I am saying to God "I agree with you, you gave me the ability to paint and your gift was not in vain."

God has blessed all of us with various gifts. Do you know what yours is? If you do, insert it where the word "writing" is. If you don't, then pray and seek and do what you can to discover it because He has definitely blessed YOU with something special.

RAZORBACK

If you know me at all, you know I am an avid RAZORBACK fan. And if you know that about me, then you know I am still recovering from the horrible loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide yesterday.

As I was sorting through my emotions about that game and what I feel like it means to be a true fan, I decided to let all that passion for the team, the school, the tradition to show up as paint on canvas. I threw in with that passion for the HOGS my love of color and voila....I created one intense razorback.

GO HOGS!!!

Visual Language

I am featured in the October issue of Visual Language, the online magazine of Contemporary Fine Art International, under DailyPaintersofArkansas.blogspot.com on pages 40 and 47. Check out this link!

http://issuu.com/cfai.co/docs/vlvol1no82012?mode=window&backgroundColor=%23222222

FLAME

The other night I decided I wanted to work with primary colors only, with a white background. So I took some red and made two downward strokes. Then I brought yellow to the canvas. Swooshed it down then trailed it out sideways. There was a lonely spot underneath the yellow, so I added a splash of blue. I liked the way it looked....kinda abstract.

Then I rotated it left............

....and saw an oil lamp with flame. A light.

"I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life." John 8:12 NAS

BEACH

The Beach. Knife painting of oil on stretched canvas 24 x 30. This painting is for sale. Contact me at bethlendermanfineart@gmail.com