amo

“Let’s do a little cabinectomy here.”

“Maybe in our world there lives a happy little tree over there.”

“Shwooop. Hehe. You have to make those little noises, or it just doesn’t work.”

“That’s a crooked tree. We’ll send him to Washington.”

“The only thing worse than yellow snow is green snow.”

“Water’s like me. It’s laaazy… Boy, it always looks for the easiest way to do things.”

“We don’t make mistakes, we just have happy accidents.”

“We want happy paintings. Happy paintings. If you want sad things, watch the news.”

Orchids
A.M. Otwell, 2008
12 x 36 inches
Original $450

This painting is based on this photograph by the very talented Dawne Olson, who graciously gave her permission for me to use her image as a reference.

In other news, Nick and Lark was featured in the Impressionist Art group at Redbubble. It happened a few days ago, and I was slow to report it, but it should still be on the front page of that group for a few more days.

There’s still free shipping (through October 30) going on at RedBubble for a few more days, so if you like this painting, now would be a good time to buy a print!

The Reluctant Christian Mourns

When I, each time anew,
shed tears as bread and wine are blessed.
Am I sad for You
or for my gnawing emptiness?

Do I cry because You suffer
You perfect Lamb, unblemished life,
or do I cry from self importance,
too self aware and full of strife?

I thirst!
I hunger for Your love.
I am too well versed in my need.

I cry for my lonely destitution
– I also cry because you bleed.

Inseparable, my joy and grief,
my love embedded in my need.
O Lord, please make whole my belief,
purify thought, word, and deed.

– A.M. Otwell, 2008

The Reluctant Christian Reflects

Must it all be to your glory?
Is there not one part of this story
I can call my own
if I’m to claim my wretchedness
and confess
your glory?

Can’t I have but one bright spot,
supply one tiny beam of my own,
a flashlight to illumine the sun?

Ah,
I see.

But I still am not content
to be some silver serving tray
reflecting that which quenches.

I am afraid of that which wrenches
self from self, me from mine
. . . that which refines.

– A.M. Otwell, 2008

The Reluctant Christian at Table

Please take this back to the kitchen.
It is too rare.
Warm, yes,
but raw.

Unsuspecting, I pierced it with my fork;
red spread over my plate,
bathing everything in blood.
Please replace it all,
the side of faith,
the helping of hope.
You can leave out the gratitude garnish
– I never eat it, anyway.

Yes, I know
some think the blood enriches the flavor.

It does not tempt
my palate.

Please take it back.
Bring me something neater, if less divine,
to go with my wine.

I ordered my love well done.

– A.M. Otwell, 2008

I got an email from RedBubble this morning that they’re offering free shipping for the next week (until 23:59 on October 30 (GMT)). Just use coupon code “friendsandfamily” during checkout!

So, if you’ve been thinking about buying some of my art for a while or are ready to get started on your holiday shopping, now’s a good time! Click here to visit my bubblesite.

While I’m on the subject, I’ll also remind you that my original art is available here, and would also make a fantastic addition to your home or a lovely holiday gift!

In other news, I’ve got a few poems “percolating,” and am breaking in a couple of new low-carb dessert recipes. (I finally got bored with the meat and potatoes more meat diet that I’ve been on for a while.) I haven’t gotten back to my neglected orchid painting, but I intend to as soon as I have a work day that ends when I still have some natural light (or a day off would do).

Here is a list of a few people I know. Artists, actually. Of various sorts. I don’t agree with them all about everything, but it would be awfully strange if I did, wouldn’t it? However, I’m blessed to know a great many talented people. Here are a few of them. I’m not name dropping (or don’t mean to be), just thought you might like to see some work from somebody besides me sometimes!

Angie Brennan, humor writer
Angie Goodale, solo, and her band Ion Avenue
Mark Helwig, illustrator and sculptor (incidentally also a really good singer; so is his wife; but I digress . . . ).
Reba Hierholzer, painter and visual artist.
Rob Woodyard of Power Trip
Ward Jenkins, animator, illustrator, director.

This list was off the top of my head, so please don’t be upset if I left you off of it! (But if I did leave you off please do let me know; Lord willing, I’ll live to promote you another day.)

These two quotations are really one, but I stopped and thought about the first part for a while before I read on to see what followed, so I’m going to break up what is really one paragraph in a book:

“When I get to heaven I mean to spend a considerable portion of my first million years in painting, and so get to the bottom of the subject.”

Flowers in a Green Vase
Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

“But then I shall require a still gayer palette than I get here below. I expect orange and vermilion will be the darkest, dullest colors upon it, and beyond them there will be a whole range of wonderful new colours which will delight the celestial eye.”

– from Painting as a Pastime by Winston S. Churchill

(While I was looking for an appropriate photo of one of his paintings, I came across this story, which I found rather interesting.)

“Let your light shine before men” (Matt. 5:16). All this groveling and self-deprecation done by Christians is often just shame masquerading as humility. Shame says, “I’m nothing to look at. I’m not capable of goodness.” Humility says, “I bear a glory for sure, but it is a reflected glory. A grace given to me.”

From Waking the Dead: The Glory of a Heart Fully Alive
by John Eldredge

Both Dorothy and the Scarecrow had been greatly interested in the story of the Tin Woodman, and now they knew why he was so anxious to get a new heart.

“All the same,” said the Scarecrow, “I shall ask for brains instead of a heart; for a fool would not know what to do with a heart if he had one.”

“I shall take the heart,” returned the Tin Woodman; “for brains do not make one happy, and happiness is the best thing in the world.”

– L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Tin Ear
1. an insensitivity to melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic variety in music.

– Dictionary.com

She too was steadfast. That touched the soldier so deeply that he would have cried tin tears, only soldiers never cry.

– Hans Christian Anderson, The Steadfast Tin Soldier

A tin cry is the characteristic sound heard when a bar of tin is bent. Variously described as a “screaming” or “crackling” sound, the effect is caused by the shearing of crystals in the metal. The sound is not particularly loud, despite terms like “crying” and “screaming”.

– Wikipedia

I find it interesting that tin cries when you bend it. Tin, which knows no love or pain, screams. Like maybe it knows it doesn’t have a heart, like someone with a “tin ear” knows they’re missing something, even if they’re not quite sure what.

“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” — Romans 8:22 (NIV)

Saturday night, I discovered a new computer game, which I’ve really been enjoying. However, I wouldn’t have even been looking for a game at all if I hadn’t been so worn out.

(Actually, I discovered two games, but one was over quickly. If you’ve got 15 minutes or so and like this web site, you might like this little locked room game that is just cute and artsy and pink and full of animals and . . . well, cute.)

I first started thinking about tin because I’m reading Waking the Dead by John Eldredge, and he refers to the Tin Woodman. Lord willing, I’ll wake up a little more this week. With apologies to Fezzik, I must say I’ve been mostly dead for days.

We have a new (to us) television and entertainment center, courtesy of my ever-generous sister-in-law. Thanks, E! It’s really amazing how much difference a few inches in screen size makes, and while I can’t complain about the prior furniture (also hand-me-downs from the in-laws), this set-up has much better storage and really makes the room look more complete and less “college student” in decor. Considering how long it’s been since I’ve been in college, perhaps it’s time to move away from that decorating style, though I can’t imagine ever really making decor a priority. It’s kind of funny how much I like to create beautiful things but how bad I am at putting them together well and making beautiful places.

I guess I’ll confess that the old TV stand became my nightstand. I just moved my “college student ways” out of public view, that’s all.