Anglo Saxon Colored Pencil Folk Art Bible-Numbers

Anglo Saxon Colored Pencil Folk Art Bible-Numbers
18" x 24" on Sketch Paper

Book 4 Poster 4

Wandering. One year of wandering for every day the spies spied out the land.
While it may be necessary to pass through wilderness experiences, you don't have to live there.
You think there were a lot of sacrifices in Leviticus? For 1.2 million adults to die in 40 years would be more than 80 funerals a day-one every 20 minutes.
This poster shows the banners I made to represent the twelve tribes. Each banner shows the number of men old enough to go to war when the Israelites entered the wilderness. They were counted latter as well, after this generation passed away. I have placed the tribes in the north, south, east, and west directions according to the placement given them in the book. The colors of the banners are chosen by the order of an artist's color wheel. A couple of years later in my studies I discovered these tribes had actual coats of arms and banners or standards. Oh well. To late to change because in later posters I have maintained the tribal colors when I knew the person belonged to a particular tribe by making his or her clothes match the banner.
I did not show offerings or sacrifices even though many are mentioned as are many laws, duties and ordinances, because I had already shown that in Leviticus. Instead I chose to show the numbering and arrangement of the people as they prepared to take their inheritance. It didn't work out as planned and so much complaining, distrust, disobedience, and strife took place first that at one point  God  sent fiery serpents to plague the people until Moses interceded for them. As you look around the picture you will see many battles, many ill people, the brass serpent, and Moses with his hands out in the center pleading.  They eventually prepare the second generation to move beyond the Jordan.
Obey God and leave the consequences to Him.

End of the Scholl's Tile Factory

 

This is the a group of artists that I was painting with. I am the one in the middle with the long ponytail hanging down my back. This building used to be used to make red clay drainage tiles. It is now abandoned but there are still large kilns inside and pieces of old broken tiles laying about. Plus the property is now owned by a plant nursery and some of the crates and garbage are laying around. There are also piles of stone you can see in the photo. I'm not certain if those were used by the tile factory or the nursery for landscape material.

"End of the Scholl's Tile FActory"
11" x 14"
Oil on Gesso board.





This painting is now on display at the
Columbia County Courthouse along
with work by 5 other artists from the
Columbia Arts Guild.


 I chose to paint the end view because you could see part of one of the huge kilns, the rusting corrugated metal color and the turquoise color of the painted metal shelving among the trash. I know, I know it is trash but I just loved the colors and shapes and the reflection in the small rain puddle.

Anglo Saxon Colored Pencil Folk Art Bible-Leviticus

Anglo Saxon Colored Pencil Folk Art Bible-Leviticus
18" x 24" on sketch paper

Book 3 Poster 3

As in Exodus you once again see the basic Mt Sinai in the background of the camp only a bit closer than it was before because we are now camped at the base. After going through all the work to make the tabernacle with all its implements of sacrifice and service it now becomes time to put it all to use. My key words for remembering this book are Holy Sacrifice and Holy Service. It applies to the group as a whole, to individuals, and to the priests. As I read through it I was impressed with the idea that in so many ways all this bloodshed pointed toward Christ and His final sacrifice for us so I placed a lamb centered in the foreground an I drew vanishing points that lead toward him. Vanishing point is an artistic term used to keep things in perspective like when parallel train tracks are drawn to look like they merge in the distance or when you make fence posts get smaller and closer together. They are also used to keep buildings and other objects drawn correctly.
In this picture I have drawn many things that visually go along these perspective lines to bring your attention to the lamb. Beginning with the man on the left holding a bird out towards the priest, the angle of his right arm and the long cuff of the priest's left sleeve reaching out for the bird point to the lamb. The tail end of the priest's sash belt gently turns toward the lamb. The general angle of all the objects such as the ewe and lamb in the background on the left, the man holding the bird the priest and all their shadows angle toward the lamb at the base of the picture.  If I had to bring a perfect lamb for sacrifice and had to bring it from any distance at all I would bring it's mother along to take care of it until it was time. The angle of the baskets and their shadows on the right side of the picture follow a line towards the lamb. The folds of the cloth in the man's garment beside the goat are shaded towards the lamb as is the dark streak of fur on the chest of the goat. I think of this as the scape goat and he is also looking at the lamb in the center of everything.
If you look around you will also see I have grouped several things in threes. They just seemed to group that way in my mind as I thought about the offerings.
This entire process of sacrifices is a messy business and I tried to show the meat, the blood on the front of the man's garments, the cleaning out of the ashes, and the urn of blood for sprinkling and pouring without making the scene seem abhorrent but I'm sure there was a great deal more blood and mess around. I don't think sacrifice is supposed to be a pleasant thing. And I do think Leviticus points us to the sacrifice Christ has made for us.

Anglo Saxon Colored Pencil Folk Art Bible-Exodus

Anglo Saxon Colored Pencil Folk Art Bible-Exodus
18" x 24" on sketch paper

Book 2 Poster 2

In the background you see a reasonable facsimile of the outline of Mt Sinai. The tallest mountain in Egypt at over 8,000 feet. In the foreground are my renditions of the painted Egyptian columns which seem to be my first mental image of what I might see if I went to ancient times. I will use these columns in other pictures where a reference to Egypt might be needed to take us back there.
To me Exodus is about bondage, redemption, and revelations of things to come.  If you look in the bottom right hand corner you will see a frog and a fly representing two of the ten plagues. If you look at the posts and beam exiting the city you will find my depiction of the blood on the lintel that saved the first born of the Israelites. Yes I know this isn't a house doorway but that is why I have chosen folk art style so that I don't have to adhere to reality. And at the bottom you also see Pharaoh pointing as he sends the people away and as he sends his chariots after them. You see the people leaving with all their goods and on either side of them are walls of water while they walk on the dry land towards Mt. Sinai. There at the foot of the mountains you see the tabernacle, the holy pillar of smoke, and Moses, who just happens to have a little glow about him. I'm not sure you can see the glow in this photo but trust me he has one. He is the little speck to the left of the tabernacle.  And the little yellow box close to the tabernacle is the mercy seat being carried.
I probably should have written things down about these pictures earlier because I know I am forgetting the reasons why I put some things in them. For instance that bull baffles me. He is rather dominant looking so I must have had something in mind. I will have to go back and check in Exodus. And I probably would draw these pictures differently after another reading because different things stand out in my mind.
I hope you enjoy sharing my visual aids.
I've just discovered I can enlarge the photo by clicking on it and then I can enlarge it even more after that screen comes on. I hope you can too.

Anglo Saxon Colored Pencil Folk Art Bible-Genesis

Genesis
Some of you already know that I have a long term art project I call my Anglo Saxon Colored Pencil Folk Art Bible. I titled it that because all my pictures will come from my western cultural white background and not because I am prejudice in any way. It began as a means to keep my interest in my reading. Let's face it I am an artist and therefore a visually oriented person and I do better when I can see things. Each colored pencil picture is 18" x 24" and fit into a poster frame. They are completely done with colored pencil on sketch paper. I'm attempting to improve on the quality of the photos but am finding it difficult to get a good shot through plastic so bear with me.
First I read through the entire book of Genesis and jot down some key words or ideas that could be visualized. Then I review what I have written and make little stick figure ideas. Then I make preliminary sketch very scribbled on an 8" x 10" sheet of copy paper. Afterward I transfer that idea to the 18" x 24" paper. Then begins the color process which often takes many layers and hours of work.
Here in the drawing you see Genesis, including the stormy colors of creation, the fall of Adam and Eve and the serpeant, the flood is represented by an ark floating out in the waters just past the Tower of  Babel and the Raven Noah released in the forground. I had a dove in the tree by Adam and Eve but I just didn't like the way it attracted my eye to it so I used my artistic license and erased it. You can not see in this photo that there are sideways rains happening out in the distance or that there are tiny little stick people around the Tower.
Then I felt like there needed to be a great crevice between the fall and Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph represented by the offering on the alter, the porridge or stew, the hunting equipment, and the coat.
In later drawings I use the stormy sky colors to represent the idea of creation or being back at the beginning. To this date I have just about completed through Ecclesiastes and will be adding them to my blog one at a time.

Twin Paintings

These are two different paintings. The one at the top is titled "In the Channel II" and was painted from an old photo of the first painting. Unknown to me a couple were considering purchasing In the Channel and were having a conversation with my husband while I sold the painting to another couple. The first couple were so disappointed they later asked me if I would consider revisiting the painting for them. The photo was one of those old peal apart kind and had darkened some but as you can see I think my second edition original turned out. I took that photo with a 3 megapixle Kodak.  I've only painted twin paintings once before and don't plan to make a habit of it because it really is difficult.

 They are different sizes. Even though the top one looks larger hear it is actually the smaller painting. It is 16" x 20 inches painted on canvas board and the one at the bottom is 20" x 24" painted on canvas. 

I hope both couples are happy.

Salmon People

 This painting is on display at American Trails Gallery in Ashland,Oregon