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Yesterday, Orchids was featured in the Painters in Modern Times group at RedBubble. I am grateful for the hosts’ support and encouragement!

I’m reading what is probably the best book I’ll read this year, In the Likeness of God, by Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey (though I haven’t finished the book or the year yet).

I’m beginning to think one of the best gifts God gave us (to learn with, anyway) is analogy. Earlier this year, I read Mind Of The Maker, by Dorothy Sayers and learned a lot about God as Creator by looking at human creators/artists. In The Likeness of God is about the human body and what we can learn about the One who created it and also the Body of Christ, the Church.

I’ve never felt I was particularly talented at finding/creating analogies myself, but perhaps it is something I should pursue. I seem to learn best from them. Jesus’ parables are analogies. I wonder how one goes about learning how to work with analogies?

(Actually, I have a short story I tried to write once that was an analogy, but I never finished it. I have more ideas than I have self discipline, and the light bulb that goes on over my head is sometimes a strobe light.)

In any event, I find myself wanting to quote extensively from this book, but I try not to quote too much from any one book here. Right now, I’m only on page 175 (of 552, though it’s not difficult reading), and I’ve got 3 fantastic passages I’d love to share! Since I really should just pick one, I guess I’ll go with the fun simile (i.e., analogy, if you don’t split hairs):

I can understand the complex process of keratin producing rigid fingernails and horses’ hooves. But no amount of training will lessen my astonishment as I watch a single stalk of keratin push its way out of a follicle, grow erect and proud and shockingly unfurl as a peacock feather. What was chemistry becomes beauty. It is as if a brilliant Appalachian quilt springs from a rock, as if a desert suddenly births a gang of cavorting porpoises.

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.)

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.

I love Sundays, but they wear me out! We get to church early for choir practice, then sing at Mass, then have coffee hour, then return to choir practice. It works out great for those of us (including me) who drive a long way to church, but I’m pretty much useless when I get home.

I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Douglas F. Hedwig and his wife today, and he told me about the posthorn. I had never heard this instrument, but now that I look at the picture, I have seen these before (or something very much like it), largely in use for decorative purposes and not as instruments. Anyway, from what I gather, they are portable instruments that were once used to bring a little culture to the countryside, perhaps like a guitar in terms of function. Dr. Hedwig is an expert on the subject (as well as the trumpet and music in general), plays the posthorn here, and has a CD for sale.

Over at RedBubble, I am pleased to report that Dogwood Tree was featured in the Seasonal Scapes group, and Bluejays placed sixth in the Genesis: Day 5 challenge in the Living Christianity group.

I haven’t been painting much lately (did I already say that in a recent post?), but I miss it, and I hope to get back to it soon.

I drove all the way to Athens before I realized maybe I shouldn’t have done that. Since I don’t watch television, and my only local news is through my weekly paper (which I’m weeks behind on reading), I didn’t realize the gas shortages had extended outside of metro Atlanta. I was peripherally aware of what was going on but wasn’t at all worried about how it applied to me. Part of my blase attitude is probably due to the fact that we closed on our house the day it became apparent that Hurricane Katrina was going to cause gasoline shortages, and we moved, anyway. What else was there to do? It wasn’t all that bad. Then, I passed roughly 10 gas stations on the way from our apartment to the interstate. Even at the worst times, at least one of those stations had gas.

. . . and it wasn’t all that bad in Athens, either. The first gas station I tried had regular unleaded, although they were sold out of the higher grades. I had enough gas to get home, anyway, but I decided to fill up just in case. A few miles on, there was a gas station that, as far as I could tell, had plenty of gas and few customers. These “spotty shortages” are truly spotty so far in Athens. I guess I’ll return to my state of indifference, at least until I’m down to 1/4 tank again. If I avoid trips to Athens, that could be months from now, as I only pretty much only drive there and to the grocery store, but since church is in Athens, I suspect the gas will go faster than that.

In other news, Dogwood Tree was featured at RedBubble in the Rivers, Lakes, and Dams group, and Boat was featured in the Impressionist Art group. When art is “featured” there, it goes on the front page of the group because the group moderator(s) likes it. I’m honored.

des·cant
(děs’kānt’) Pronunciation Key
n.

1. also dis·cant (dĭs’-) Music
    1. An ornamental melody or counterpoint sung or played above a theme.

    2. The highest part sung in part music.
2. A discussion or discourse on a theme.
(American Heritage Dictionary via dictionary.com)

If I had known I could hit those notes, perhaps I would have quit smoking long before 2006. That is not to say I sound good, just to say that I can make a sound several notes higher than I thought I could. Almost always the right note at the right time, even. And it wasn’t until now, the third day after my first successful descant experience, that I thought of shattering glass. I’m pretty sure I couldn’t do it. Shatter glass, that is. But who knows?

I’m still thinking about it because it was SO MUCH FUN. That . . . and I have a sore throat. The two aren’t related that I know of, except I probably got exposed to a bug the same day I discovered that I could hit high notes.

So I looked up vocal ranges on Wikipedia, and I’ve got nothing special. But it’s special to me. I hope God liked hearing those alleluias as much as I liked singing them. . . and that He’ll clear up this sore throat in a jiffy!

I’m painting orchids. The orchids are not as much fun as the descant was. However, I think I see how the painting is going to fall into place now and just need to take the time to make it happen.

Every time I say I’m painting a flower, I get this mental picture of me standing in a florist shop with a paintbrush, surrounded by white flowers that need color. Anyone else get this picture or is it just me?

Today and yesterday were good days. Yesterday, we went to Atlanta and had a lovely visit with the in-laws and came home with treasures: A bag full of old lace, books, a silver teapot and spoon holder, and other such delights, some of which I am sure will be featured in future paintings and other projects.

Then I found a not-overpriced bottle of wine at a convenience store on the way home. I was surprised, but I think maybe the mark-ups inside the stores have gone down as gas prices have gone up. I didn’t even know metro Atlanta convenience stores had drinkable red wine at any price, so it was a double surprise.

Today, my Dogwood Tree painting placed in the top ten in a “Trees in Bloom” contest at RedBubble. They only announced first through fourth place and then displayed the top ten, so I placed somewhere between fifth and tenth. You’re welcome to go look and form your own opinions, if you’d like. I’m just delighted to be on the page!

We actually had a high of 72 today, much, much lower than it has been, so I dug out my MP3 player and took a walk. I’ve missed that.

Dogwood Tree
A.M. Otwell, 2008
Acrylic on canvas
10 x 10 inches, gallery wrapped
Original $400

I finished this up last night. The square format and small size don’t really lend themselves to the types of prints available on RedBubble, so I’ve just made the original available; no prints this time.

This was from a reference photo I took earlier this year at Lake Oconee near Wallace Dam. The reference photo had a lot more white in it (the sky, the far bank) that competed with the blossoms, so I had to make a lot of changes. When I get this far from the “real” photo, it sometimes feels like I’m walking a tightrope and that I might lose my balance and end up with a not-very-good painting, but I’m pretty happy with the result this time around.

While I’ve been painting, I’ve been listening to a beautiful piece of music, Ave Generosa, over and over again, trying to learn it before the choir I just joined sings it Sunday morning. I haven’t been in a choir in a LONG time, and I’m really rusty at reading music, much less trying to sing in Latin! It’s so beautiful, though. Embedding has been disabled, but you can hear it on YouTube here. I’m not sure if the viewer can “see” any of the music in the painting, but I think this painting and that music are forever intertwined in my mind.

And, of course, it’s September 11. I was remiss in preparing a blog post for today, but I have NOT forgotten the day or those who died, and I am grateful for the heroic responses of emergency personnel that day and every day, as well as the soldiers who serve our country and protect our freedom. God has blessed this country richly with heroes, and I pray that He continues to bless the USA.

Jefferson and I near Wallace Dam at the end of March. (Thanks, Elizabeth!)