As I continue on my journey of painting one painting a day, I really am learning a lot...not only about the painting process but I am always having this dialogue in my mind with the Eternal One and a realization that life is also a process,  is prevalent in my mind. He brings back to memory many things that HE has taught me over the years...and today several things went through my mind but one was about death and the seeds that are left behind once the life is gone.

The Saviour said 

Joh 12:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
Joh 12:25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

He was the Ultimate seed and because of HIM we have been given grace and mercy to continue on loving, sharing and doing HIS work.

While we are living in this life...we have opportunities everyday to share truth, love, forgiveness, mercy and justice with those who cross our path...those are the seeds that we plant. Whatever we sow that we will also reap, so it is not just when we die that we leave the seeds to grow, it is also while we are alive as well. In the world the saying goes...what goes around comes around and that is true; we see this evidence in planting a garden, we do not plant lettuce and then end up with strawberries. The same goes with our daily lives, our words, thoughts  and actions cause a crop of bountiful goodness or...a plot full of thorns, we get to choose what seeds we plant  :) 

Php 4:8  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 

I pray that this painting of these "Expired Tulips' will bring blessings to the one who owns it...and by the miracle of the internet...all those who see it. Please pass this on to anyone that you want to send this prayer to. :) <3

This painting will be available on e-bay as an auction,  my name is Heather Kemp and this painting is 6" x 8"

I have been painting off and on since I was a young girl…I mean in grade school. I sold my first painting when I was that young too. I had painted 2 deer on some old worn out pictures that I had salvaged, then I approached the drug store near our house in the small town where I grew up. The drugstore owner put my paintings in his store and a friend of our family bought them not long afterward for under $1.  That was big money back then…and I was so pleased. I was a child and this lady was probably just encouraging me, and it did encourage me. Over the years I have not been faithful to paint often because somewhere along the way I got the idea that it was not a viable thing to do and even for the last several years I thought it was self indulgent and so I only painted when I felt that I deserved a treat.

Well this past summer I got a call from a lady who attended college with me, we went out twice a week and painted in the mountains, in the parks and wherever we could….it was such a blessing for me to paint I was so happy. So that was the beginning of my new painting adventure.

We went to an art show a few days ago and she told me about some artists who were painting a painting a day, this was so intriguing to me, she told me that they painted small paintings of everyday objects and sold them on e-bay with the bids starting at $100. This seemed so awesome to me and something very doable. As soon as I came home that day I began to search for these painters who were creating a painting  a day. I wanted to do this and I wanted to find out what they were doing. I was so impressed by their paintings and their blogs that I immediately started a blog that day (which I am very slow at because I don’t know much about blogs, so as a side note if you feel compelled to help me I will welcome the offer)…anyway I made my little blog and painted my first painting the next day. Oh it was so hard for me, for some reason things were not coming together. I thought I had chosen a simple subject when I chose a salt and pepper shaker, but boy it was not simple for me. I am used to painting walls or painting relatively large canvasses and painting outdoors or from a photograph, things from creation…not salt and pepper shakers  so I was disappointed. But since I made a commitment to do a painting a day  I painted it until my time was up took the photos…and despite my disappointment in the painting, I posted it anyway….follow through is important to me. 

I wanted to mention some of the artists that I found, they are absolutely masters at painting (I think)…I was so taken by their work… there is a man named Duane Keiser who actually started this painting a day, from what I understand and he is amazingly blessed with talent. I also connected with a man named Julian Merrow Smith, and another artist, Dave R Darrow…fantastic painters; they don’t need my endorsements either, they are all successful.

Yesterday I did everything I could to paint another painting; I thought I need to paint something organic, from creation, so I chose an angel wing plant…I spent several hours painting it and I was brought to tears doing it…I was so frustrated. I look at creation and I know that there is a Mighty Masterful Artist, the Almighty Artist Creator who made everything because it (creation) exists I know HE does… even my pitiful paintings exist so people know that someone made them…anyway I look up to the heavens at HIM and I ask…why do I have this desire to create and yet I do not have the skill to do it??? Well I do have some skill but its almost as though my hands don’t do what I see or know in my mind…how frustrating. I put in all my effort and it still wasn't working…well all is not lost, I left it late last night, and I realized I had started a painting that was too big to complete in one day and I was rushing it, so I will finish it in due time.

This morning I prayed and I knew that I would be blessed today, my intentions are to give the Master Creator all the glory…I mean after all HE made everything and we ‘artists’ even the great ones that I mentioned…(and some I didn't mention like Scott Prior, Scott Kiche and Larry Preston) are merely copying the One True Master Artist…there is nothing new under the sun. 

So after praying…and realizing that I am not those artists, I am me…I paint differently…mostly with a lot of paint and even though I do like photo realism I haven’t achieved that… yet.

This painting a day will enable me to hone my skills and I pray that I use them to exalt the Eternal One.

So I took a beautiful red gala apple and decided to paint that for today’s painting…it is painted the way I like to paint and I can see that I am actually developing my skills by the Eternal’s mercy and patience with me. I will be posting this for auction on e-bay and you can also see it on http://www.hearingissweet.wordpress.com. 

Poppies

Lately I have been trying to paint more freely. I discovered Yupo paper and began painting these poppies. I have had a lot of fun with this...so here is one example, I find these so easy for me to do that I consider them just exercises.

Chef Salt and Pepper

One day my 30 year old daughter came for dinner, as we were preparing dinner she picked up my little Chef salt shaker and began to laugh, she proceeded to explain that all these years she never noticed that this salt and pepper shaker set were two little chefs. Such is life, many of us pass through our days not noticing the everyday things.

A painting a day is inspired by Duane Keiser, and it seems a very goodly thing to do. It will help me to stop and take the time to appreciate the everyday things in life that we often take for granted in the rush of things. I am thankful for every day that I am given the breath of life; I want to put my thankfulness into the appreciation of what many would consider to be boring, ordinary or mundane.

So here is my 'wonkey' little salt and pepper Chef set painting. :) #1