Tag Archives: art

New Days Ahead

Isn’t it a most intriguing time? So what are you all doing while staying at home?

My husband and I go for walks when the weather permits. I have baked so much that I don’t want to anymore, the freezer is full. My favorite part of this quarantine is to reflect on my life. This feels like an opportune time to reflect and have a remake. Not a new hair cut or a new wardrobe, although the wardrobe part is enticing, an attitude adjustment, or maybe a reflecting time of my life. What do I want to do now and what will life look like when this is over?

Well, for one thing, I have been continuing my painting journey and actually sent off a painting that will end up in Norway and am painting two more for local people. That was a nice surprise for me to sell my paintings. I will now stop saying I’m not an artist.

I have “chatted” and video called friends from around the world. I love technology. We do live in an amazing time. We may never fully understand this worldwide virus invasion but I really encourage all of us not to waste the time waiting for it to end. Take this time to reach out to others or relatives and friends that you have lost touch with. There is so much more of a fuller life right at our fingertips and all we have to do is set aside our grievances and unforgiveness and most of all our pride and reach out. Be the one who makes the first move. Life is precious and we have no idea when our life or others will end on this earth.

In my lifetime there has never been such a worldwide event as this virus. Nothing compares to this time. Let’s glean from it and come out winners. I am truly sorry for anyone who has lost a loved one to this sickness or who are waiting and hoping for someone to overcome it. But there is hope, and I believe a living God who sees the full picture.

Hang in there, good readers, and please let me know how you are coping. Let’s keep it light and encouraging. The good news is the best news.

Enjoy!

My latest painting

Cate B

Could I Have a Do-Over?

Well, this New Year started off a wee bit off-kilter for me. I came down with a cough and a little congestion right before the clock struck twelve. Great timing. Since I filled myself with immune builders it could have been a lot worse. Instead, it dragged slowly on and I shared it with my husband. A mild depression set in because I hate being sick. What a baby I am.

A week and one day later I am feeling really good. It’s funny, but a phone call to a dear friend about a dream I had, boosted my spirit immensely. I even reached out to someone I would like to get to know – this may seem like an easy thing for some of you but for me, a temptation to be a recluse has a strong pull on me. But I would be a lousy recluse. I like people.

So today I got inspired. I painted. The beauty of painting is that when you use two canvasses and create some pretty ugly stuff, you can paint over them. So I did. I usually do not name my paintings because I want the eye of the beholder to name them what they feel or see. But this first one I had to call “A Glimpse of Heaven”.

The other is left to the interpreter. Orange – I love the colour of orange.

As you look may you be touched with Hope. That is all I ask for as I create anything. May Heaven come down with the Hope you are looking and asking for.

Enjoy!

Cate B

 

You Want Me To Do What?

It has been a while since I wrote on here. I started this new painting journey and it took me away for a bit. I am back and I am still painting. That has been both fun and scary.

I try to relax when I create, otherwise, it becomes drudgery instead of joy. I want joy. So, recently I took on a project that was foreign to me. A young man commissioned me to paint him some paintings for his apartment based on what I saw already on his walls as his theme. He gave me the freedom to paint as many as I thought I should. I appreciated that because it meant less pressure on me. Artists like freedom.

I like and I want to view my life as not wasted. I want to soak up everything I can from whatever journey I am on at the time. Horses. The guy like horses. The last time I painted/drew an animal, a mountain lion/cougar, it looked like it had down syndrome. No offence toward anyone, please. It was bad. But I decided to learn to draw horses and create two paintings for him. What was I thinking? Why do I always go in deep? Good grief.

Well, It took me a while and I struggled with my lack of ability and nearly quit several times. But I hate to quit! By golly, this old gal will break the horse and he will come out looking good!

What happened was, a lightbulb came on one day and I saw that these paintings were for him. A weight lifted off of me when I realized this. It was then that I was able to draw the horses and finish the commissioned work and saw his smile when he received them.

For me, I found that the extra pressure of creating what someone else wants is my choice. However, doing this one took me into another level of confidence in my creativity. Will I do horses again? Right now I say no. But maybe might be more truthful.

Here is a sneak peek at what is hanging on someone’s wall…

Enjoy Life

Cate B

 

 

A New Thing

As a child I was encouraged to be creative……sort of encouraged. My mom was a creative person, but her way of encouraging me was to have me watch John Gnagy, our version of Bob Ross. She bought pads and pencils and I was left to figure out if I was able to draw or not. That didn’t last long. I learned to sew and knit very basic. I learned to bake and cook and listen to music while singing my heart out in my room. No verbal encouragement came so I gave up very easily.

But you cannot throw away the creative juices that lie within you. They may lay dormant but they are always there waiting to spring forth when given just a hint of watering and sunlight.

So I have blossomed into a rather good crocheter and baker. But I get antsy. I recently couldn’t ignore the voice that kept gently bidding me to jump in deeper to the creativity. Then, through people I highly respect, I answered with a big YES.

Being a person who just loves my friendship with Father God, Jesus and Holy Spirit, I felt a strong tug to paint. But not paint precise images (thank God) but to paint colours.  I just love colours. I am drawn to colourful things and they speak to me and actually bring out feelings and senses that otherwise just stay hidden.

So now begins a new journey. I started painting in a freeform-type of artistry. Whatever happens with this journey will definitely be a learning experience. At first I absolutely hated what I produced. But I kept them and am moving forward. I figure I will be the first one to get anything out my art simply because I need to see it in a new perspective – as God sees it. I think He likes what I produce, therefore, I need to like it too.

I even show my pieces to people. That is a new thing for me. I often ask why I couldn’t just crochet and give it away (I still crochet and bake – try and stop me!) But I know that this is the medium I am to do now. So here ya go, Dear Readers, a glimpse of my new thing…….

 

Enjoy!

Cate B

One of My Favorite Pastimes

I just love drives to places I’ve never been. And I love drives to places I have been. Scenic routes, I like to call them. Country roads. I just get fulfilled physically with rest and spiritually with awe and wonderment and therefore, emotionally full.

Creation is so artistic. Colors and shadows and wildlife. Man’s church needs to recognize the artistic more. God created all this beauty yet we tend to recognize the logic more than the art. It all comes from Him. Let’s stop packing Him into those boxes we made and stop cutting Him in half. There is so much of the wholeness of God that we are missing when we pack Him up into our self-made boxes because we don’t understand.

I want to understand. I want to open the boxes I’ve stashed away and let Him loose and learn as much as humanly possible.

So, on that note, one of my most favorite pastimes is exploring new areas and being with family. One son and his lovely bride live in KU country. Rock Chalk town in Kansas. We had a great lunch together and a FANTASTIC latte and then a drive to a local lake. Also to mention, Lawrence, Kansas is an amazing town. Full of mid-west charm and shops galore and students everywhere. A small-town atmosphere with city influence and Kansas City charm. Great food to eat and coffee to drink. Love it.

Here are a few pics of our day.

YUMMY!
fire escape and great brick/rock work on the top right of building
brick sidewalks
brick work on some sidewalks
Osprey over the lake
great colors and clouds

Back to Reality

A new adventure coming up in two weeks.  Stay tuned.

In the meantime…….a snippet of a great vacation……….. and now back to reality.

…………
washed up jellyfish
where SpongeBob gets the jelly for the Crabby Patties
card making during a hurricane
remember……
tada!
seriously
boys will be boys
Celebrate USA!
sunset on the Delaware Bay
I missed this…….

Enjoy!

cate b

To Tattoo or Not To Tattoo

To tattoo or not to tattoo…….  Too late!  No question there for me.  I now have two tattoos and think often of my third and what it should be.  Fortunately, I haven’t decided yet and am very glad I didn’t go with every thought I had – I would be covered.

In 2005 we lost our daughter – you can read about that in my Loss/Grief Section on the menu bar.  While our son was traveling home from China to attend his sister’s funeral he designed a couple of tattoos in remembrance of her.  I overheard him talking to his brothers about them and I wanted in on it.  So did my husband.  So about eight of us made appointments at Rebel Image Tattoo – http://www.rebelimagetattoo.com/ – in our home county and here is the one most of the girls got:

tattoo1

vanessachestcopy (2)

Our daughter’s name, Vanessa, means butterfly.  I have this one on my left forearm so I can always see it.  If you look closely and artistically, you can see her initials – V J B in the wings and the body.  I’m so proud of our son for designing this.  Most of the guys got a Celtic butterfly with a heart in the middle sorry, I don’t have access to the pic of that one.

After getting to know Mike, who owns the tattoo parlor, I was totally taken with the whole business.  http://www.rebelimagetattoo.com/person/mike-siderio/#tabs-2Such artistic talent goes into tattoos.  And when you get one specially made for you that has a deep, heart-felt meaning, it just increases my love for them.  You hear me young people?  I just love your tattoos!  Well, most of them.

I have one on my left leg – it represents me (the butterfly in the middle) and my three sons and my daughter (the blue one).  I had a dream and that is where this one came from, also designed by my son after I told him the dream.

tattoo2

I love the whole art thing with tattoos.  Yes, they are pretty much permanent, so I recommend that it is something you really want and has a close meaning to you.  Some of the ones I’ve seen are incredible.  Entire arms, etc. totally tattooed in such detailed work.  It is an amazing aspect of the art world.

So, yes, this grandma loves tattoos.

Enjoy!

cate b

Does Anyone Have a Testimony?

At the beginning of 2011 I saw several people posting a “Photo a Day” or other such projects on the internet. I like that.
So, now that it’s almost half way through the year I feel strongly that I NEED and WANT to post “A Testimony a Day”.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines testimony as: an open acknowledgment; a public profession of religious experience; a divine decree attested in the scriptures.

I think this will be harder than I thought and that is probably the biggest reason I want to do it.  It’s hard to be thankful when we all live a life so involved with circumstances.  Circumstances that most of the time are not good or appear to be hard.  But on the other hand, I believe there is something to attest to in every circumstance no matter how hard things look.  We are surrounded by “stories” waiting to be told.  I want to find them.

God has a different view of our lives then we do.  I want His perspective more.  I’ve changed my whole approach to prayer over the last year.  Instead of asking all the time for something from Him I spend more time being thankful to Him and meditating on His goodness and love and more time looking back on situations and seeing how He got me through it and where He was when certain things happened.  It’s life changing.

I recently went to a local art museum to see Monet’s Water Lilies.  All 3 panels were on display (normally they are in separate locations).  Seeing such a magnificent work of art in person is eye opening.  You can enter the room and look at it and see it one way.  But as you approach the work every few feet the scene in front of you changes.  You get a different perspective the closer you get.  A different depth, a different opinion even.

So, I want these simple “testimonies” to do that for whoever reads them.  May they change your perspective on your life.  I am counting on them to change mine – to open my eyes wider to the things around me. To have a story no matter how simple or complex each day.  Enjoy.

Testimony #1

Today I attended a church 20 minutes from my home.  I had only been there once before and liked it.  So, 2 months later, my husband and I went again.  I am thankful for people who gather in the name of their Lord with happy hearts and have the freedom to worship Him together and individually with confidence and freedom in who they are and who they were made to be.  It was truly an uplifting experience full of peace and strength.  It was a room FULL of creative people who gathered together to celebrate the most creative person they know – The Creator.