Complete Winnie the Pooh Mural!

Good Morning Good People!!! I attempted to post last night, but the exhaustion took me down. Today is a new day, and I am feeling refreshed!!

I read a blog not too long ago that talked about evolving. I thought that it is true that we are constantly evolving...constantly changing...constantly reshaping ourselves (for the better I hope). So I have decided to make a small change in the way that I blog. I love giving you folks an inside peep on what is going on behind my art, and that won't change. A lot of times that means there are some words to read...sometimes more than others. However there is a beauty in words that sometimes captures what the eyes cannot see. I am all about tapping into all of the senses. God gave them to us and I want to use all of them to the best of my ability!

With that said, just the aesthetics of the blog will change a bit. I am going to be adding a My Thoughts For the Day subtitle. A small change, but a change I think will make reading a little easier. I will try it and see if it works...if not, I will change again. After all these years, I realize...change is good!!!

WINNIE THE POOH
mural
is complete

Yes...the mural is complete. When I started the sketches for the mural a few months ago I was so unsure if I would be able to complete the task. As I explained in earlier posts, although I normally work very large, this would be my first mural. If I had to be honest, I was kind of shook. I did a whole lot of praying and asking GOD for wisdom, and HE definitely came through as always. Each time I put my brush to the wall I gained more confidence. I realize that when a task is given, and I know that I am purposed to do it, I must just do it! I recognize that most times I have nothing to lose, and truthfully the fear of "I can't" sometimes pushes me to the point of knowing that "I will...I must!" So, I did, and praise GOD it turned out great. There are definitely things that I would have changed, but there is no room for a perfectionist attitude right now. I am learning to leave well enough alone, and move on to the next projects.

I want to thank Stacy and Byron for believing with confidence that I could complete this awesome task. People from all over will see this, and perhaps ask for my services. I know that it was given as a gift, but you all have given me the best gift ever of allowing me to showcase my abilities! Thank you so much! I love you all and can't wait to see baby Thumper!!!

My thoughts for the Day

I had a pretty amazing epiphany yesterday...I am a very passionate person! Now before you all get to thinking outside of the box that I am putting that word in, let's define the word passionate. It simply means to express or show intense emotions and feelings about a particular thing. Some good synonyms...excitable, zealous, enthusiastic, earnest, and animated...to name a few.

I do! I work passionately, I create passionately, I sing passionately, I write passionately, I live passionately, I laugh passionately, and I love passionately (In the box right now! All my single people understand lol!). That's just a short list, but covers so much. I simply am a passionate person. I see that as a good thing, and make no excuses for it. It means that each day I attempt to do things to the best of my ability! I am grateful to GOD for allowing me to be passionate about life period! It keeps me going when I feel I have nothing left to give.

So there you all have it....the new subheading! I pray you all enjoy! I will be updating on the 365 Philly Project next. Have a great day...living and loving on purpose!!!

Pearls of Wisdom:
“The more intensely we feel about an idea or a goal, the more assuredly the idea, buried deep in our subconscious, will direct us along the path to its fulfillment.”
~Earl Nightingale

“The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.”
~Mitch Albom

Today take time to listen to the heart of GOD. Be quiet, listen good, and then ask the necessary questions. Once you receive the answer, trust that answer and get to doing what it is you are supposed to do. Do whatever it is with a passion like never before!

Be blessed!

Winnie The Pooh Mural Part 2

I am having a hard time concentrating. My mind is racing about a hundred miles a minute about much of nothing, but sleep. The funny thing is, I am so exhausted that I am unable to sleep. I mean, I did stay up until after 1am and get up before 7am more days than not last week. It's all catching up with me now. Last night was the last straw, but I had a ball chilling with some really cool people!

So here I am blogging about the Winnie the Pooh mural, which is something that I should have done last week. I managed to finish Piglet, Tigger and the rock that they are all sitting on. Things went rather smooth this go round. I believe that familiarity with the canvas (or wall in this case) helped a lot.


I will be posting pics and a video of the finished product next week!

I will finish up this week. I am looking forward to seeing the finished product.

Random Pic of the Day:

It was pouring this morning as I pulled into the parking lot of church, and this is what I saw. I had to pull back around to make sure I was seeing properly. What child parked their chair in this parking spot? There are odd and random things all over the place if you are looking!!!

There you have it folks...a short and sweet Sunday post!!!! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!!!

Pearls of Wisdom:
"The primary joy of life is acceptance, approval, the sense of appreciation and companionship or our human comrades. Many men do not understand that the need for fellowship is really as deep as the need for food, and so they go through life accepting many substitutes for genuine, warm, simple."
~ Joshua Loth Liebman

Be blessed!

#7- City Hall & My Calling!

Sometimes we spend so much time trying to attain others gifts that we fail to nourish our own. Today I am fully convinced that I was born to be an artist. It's just the truth of the matter. I enjoy doing many things. I admire the gifts of others and if the truth has to be told...have even envied those gifts at times, but I am sure that GOD thought of me as a creative being before I was formed in my Mother's womb. That's real sure huh!

But I do! It's not just a passion or my career, but my calling! I was purposed to create, and share that creativity! I remember as clear as day almost over 10 years ago. I laid across my bed in my one bedroom apartment at the time in Northern Virginia. I sobbed and repeatedly asked GOD who HE made me to be. I asked, over and over what I was created in this world to do. I pleaded for answers. As I drifted off to sleep, Exodus 31:1-6 came to me to read. I read, and learned that GOD was telling Moses the craftsmen that would be building the tabernacle. I was floored, and if there was any doubt what HE said, a friend called and said that he thought about me as he read. He gave me Exodus 35:30-35, which is Moses telling the people what GOD told him in Exodus 31:1-6.

So here I am sharing with the world what I know to be a gift from GOD! My prayer is that you, the one that views and reads this blog can benefit from my gift!

Today's painting is the start of a view of City Hall. I am going to be publishing this post, but will come back to put up finished photos as well in the next few days.

I never understood the buzz about City Hall until a few years ago. It was a place that conducted serious business. A place where one goes to get their birth certificates, marriage licenses, passports, and so forth and so on. I never really took the time to see the beauty in its architecture. It is absolutely amazing! Not only is the structure amazing, but the view of the city from its entrance and exit points are something to marvel at.

There I was with a friend, and decided at that point that I needed to capture that particular time and space to paint as a part of this project.



There you have it!!! Have a great evening!!!


Pearls of Wisdom:
“I am here for a purpose and that purpose is to grow into a mountain, not to shrink to a grain of sand. Henceforth will I apply ALL my efforts to become the highest mountain of all and I will strain my potential until it cries for mercy.”
~Og Mandino

Be blessed!

#6 - The Other Side of The Tracks

I came back from a mini (and I do mean mini) vacation on Monday, and just couldn’t seem to get my bearings straight to paint or blog. I started to catch up on Tuesday with the painting, and just now getting to update you all on what has been going down!

Today’s painting (or more like this weeks painting at this point) is about an area in Philly (6th & American) that used to be thriving warehouses. There are still some up and running, but the majority of them have been closed and abandoned for quite some time.

There is something funny and actually baffling about cities. One street is obviously affluent, and the next block is the total opposite. And I don't care what city you are in...every city has an area such as this. I understand that there is such a thing called gentrification, but really…just less than a hundred yards from one home to the next things look so drastically different? It raises more than a few questions, which I won't go into due to the sake of time (feel free to post your comments).

So I have taken a little bit more of a laid back approach with this painting. I am more of a perfectionist and detail oriented (most of the time), but I will be trying to get loose for the next few paintings.



There you have it folks!!! I must get my beauty rest to get going on my purpose all over again tomorrow!!!

Pearls of Wisdom:
Coming generations will learn equality from poverty, and love from woes.
~Khalil Gibran

Be blessed!!

#5 - Bridges of Life

I was slapped in the face by a reality today concerning this project. I was telling a dear sister friend about my plans for this project, which includes of course painting and blogging on a daily basis. No sooner than she stated something like, "Whew that is a lot!" did I think to myself, "I've put the cart before the horse again!"

I reassured her (really myself...lol) that it wasn't an option for me not to do. I have started and stopped so many times that if my life depended on it I would be on a "cooling board". I explained that if a woman who is a wife, mother and career woman can manage to blog daily, so could I.

So here I am attempting to make this thing work! I will paint 365 paintings about the city of Philadelphia, even if it means that it takes me 400 days. I am determined! I wasn't nicknamed tenacious years ago for nothing!!!

Anywho...today's painting subject is the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. I don't have a history on the bridge for you today, although there is much history to be given I am sure.

A bridge by definition is a structure spanning and providing passage over a river, chasm, road, or the like, and a connecting, transitional, or intermediate route or phrase between two adjacent elements, activities, conditions, or the like.

As I read the definition, I thought about life and all of its intricacies. I thought about experiences of the past and how they connect me to my future. I thought about relationships of old and how they make a path for those of new. I thought about how past failed business ventures made way for the success of those businesses I am supposed to have. I thought about financial woes from back in the day that made it possible for me to know that GOD always makes a way. I thought about my sometimes wretched mistakes that helped me to blossom into the woman GOD has me today.

All in all, I understand that there is a purpose for the bridges in life. There are purposes for those things that link you from one journey in life to another. I thank GOD for the bridges, and the people that help make getting over the bridge a smoother process.

For this piece I did a bit of collage at the top. I used tissue paper ripped in strips to create my rendition of the sky at sunset. I decided to use modge podge to secure the tissue paper to the canvas, and painted the image of the bridge on top.



So, there you have it good people! I pray your day was fabulous, and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow!

Pearls of Wisdom:
Do what you know how to do best! The rest, leave for others to do what they do best!!!

Be blessed!

Painting - Winnie The Pooh Mural

I have accomplished more in this day than I have in a very long time. It just goes to prove that when you wake up determined to do what you are purposed by GOD to do and make HIM the driver, all that needs to falls into place.

I have started painting the Winnie the Pooh mural that I blogged about sketching a few weeks ago. As you all know, for the most part I work on a large scale, but have not done anything as large as a mural before. I would be telling a lie if I said that I wasn't a little nervous about charting new territory.

I had a few challenges in the beginning. I had to get into the grove of things, and there are spots that I definitely need to refine. However, as I painted I took deep breaths, and reminded myself that this is what I am purposed to do...to create, and I can do this!


The start of a beautiful process


Excited to be venturing into new territory


Getting dirty happens...lol, but I wouldn't want it any other way!

I am learning each day to push myself. Today, I pushed myself and the outcome (thank you HOLY SPIRIT) was great!!!!

In the voice of Elmer Fudd, "That's all folks!" Check back tomorrow for more on the series about Philadelphia!

Pearls of Wisdom:
Taking a trek into new territory could be the key that unlocks the successes of your life! What new land will you venture into today?

Be blessed!!!

Painting #4 - The Laborers' Union

I don't confess to know much about unions...needless to say, I don't belong to one! However, in the past few months I have been hearing more and more about them.

As I drove across Spring Garden a few weeks ago, I looked to my right and stopped almost in my tracks. I pulled over and immediately snapped a shot. The men that sit in their lawn chairs picketing in front of the Bottom Dollar Foods that I sometimes visit, is the image that came to mind. The sign that they hold saying, "Don't shop at Bottom Dollar, they don't support a union."
At that very moment I decided to complete a painting surrounding what I shot a picture of.

It seems that a union is most important to those that stand in need of representation or negotiation on their behalf. In researching I understand that their is bargaining power in unions. They bargain for improved wages, proper complaint procedures, the rules governing hiring, firing and promotion of workers, fair benefits, and improved policies.

In looking at the Laborers' Local Union 57 website, it is evident that they are fighting for all that is listed above. And to me, anyone that is fighting on the behalf of another to make life better for them is okay in my book. Now, I may not always take heed to those that are picketing outside of stores because there is no union in effect. I shop where I can get the best deal for the product that I am looking for. However, I respect what they need to do in order to protect their livelihood.



There you have it! Check back manana for more painting!!!!

Pearls of Wisdom:
"It was the labor movement that helped secure so much of what we take for granted today. The 40-hour work week, the minimum wage, family leave, health insurance, Social Security, Medicare, retirement plans. The cornerstones of the middle-class security all bear the union label."
~President Barack Obama

Be blessed!!!