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It is difficult to watch the news. There is so much death, destruction, devastation, hatred and evil in the reports we hear - the images are too much to bear. We shake our heads in bewilderment - How...? Why...? Our questions ring out louder at Christmastime, when choirs sing of "peace on earth, goodwill to men". Every day we see the struggle between good and evil - and we wrestle with how the two can co-exist. Our hearts are fertile ground and whatever seeds we allow to grow will take over. Seeds of envy, bitterness, hatred, entitlement, and the like, will root themselves deep into our hearts - if we allow them. BUT, the same goes for seeds of peace, joy, hope and love. If those are the things we plant, water, and nurture, they will prevail. I choose these latter things: peace, joy, hope and love. The reality is that my human condition requires a daily tending to the garden of my heart, digging up the roots of darkness and turning to God to transplant His light instead. And at Christmastime I think about Jesus, the Light of the World, coming down into darkness - coming into the middle of the evil in this world. Evil threatens to command our attention and show that it has won the day, but it is on its last legs. Goodness and Light will prevail. So, even in the midst of darkness, I will join the chorus to sing of "peace on earth, goodwill to men".  "The Wrong Will Fail, The Right Prevail" Graphic Art/Photography Erin Stinson 2014 I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day Their old familiar carols play, And wild and sweet the words repeat Of peace on earth, good will to men. I thought how, as the day had come, The belfries of all Christendom Had rolled along the unbroken song Of peace on earth, good will to men. And in despair I bowed my head: "There is no peace on earth," I said, "For hate is strong and mocks the song Of peace on earth, good will to men." Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: "God is not dead, nor doth he sleep; The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, With peace on earth, good will to men." Till, ringing singing, on its way, The world revolved from night to day, A voice, a chime, a chant sublime, Of peace on earth, good will to men! Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Hoar frost is one of the most beautiful sights. I watched the fog roll in the night before and woke up to a blanket of ice crystals. I ventured out and savoured the beauty around me, ever so mindful of the Christmas season and my desire to stay focused on what it's truly about.  You came like a winter snow Quiet and soft and slow Falling from the sky in the night To the earth below Audrey Assad: "Winter Snow"    Today's colour palette is brought to you by the creamsicle - and boy, did I ever have a hankerin' for one! This week's challenge has been in mixing new colours and precisely re-mixing previous colours for touch-ups. It has been very rewarding to fill in those final empty spaces on the top half - almost there! I think I should have bought shares in painters tape before I began, though. The taping process has been time consuming but it's worth it to get the results I desire. Make a trip down to the gallery at MacDonald Island tomorrow night to watch me tackle the rest of Foxy Loxy's knobbly head and the method behind all this taping madness! There will be a number of us at work as well as an exhibition of finished foxes in the gallery. You will find the opening in the Community Gallery - the hallway just off the fitness centre upstairs. The artists at work will be in the Syne Room, the last room in the hallway. Looking forward to seeing you there!
  I am tickled pink to be included as one of four local artists featured in the latest issue of YMM (Your McMurray Magazine)! David Ball, Liana Wheeldon, Russell Thomas and I had the honour of creating artwork for the Top Ten Newsmakers of the year. Last Thursday evening was the Holiday Party and unveiling of the issue at the Gallery at Frames and More. Pick up your hard copy of the magazine, check out the stunning portraits by my fellow artists and find out who made the top ten list! http://yourmcmurraymagazine.com/features/2014-newsmakers-of-the-year http://www.yourmcmurraymagazine.com/features/building-community-capacity-through-art I painted the inside of a fox's nostril today. True story. The adventures with tape continue and I can finally see the end of stage one coming around the corner. Taping takes nearly as much time as painting - it's like a puzzle and as long as I stick to the plan, each piece falls into place. I had a bit of a marathon session today, which I've been doing my best to avoid. As I contorted my body into all sorts of unnatural angles and held it there for a while, I thought to myself, "This is why I workout - so I can paint." Today I created a system to help me remember all my colour mixing for when I have to remix and touch-up, as well as decided on a three colour maximum for reusing tape before it gets too difficult to discern where the lines are. Plus, I got a thumbs up from a cute little passerby, so my approval rating looks good in the 3-5 age category. A thumbs up and a nostril full of paint (the fox's not mine) - pretty good day, I'd say.     |
