Informed Opinion

The Phoenix 18 x 24 pastels

The Seed 12 x 18 pastels

Filtered Divinity 18 x 24 pastels

I would like to think I'm smart, that I've figured out somethings on my own, but in truth, I'm reading - meaning someone else thought it, perhaps researched it and wrote it down. Admittedly, I'm not reading opinions and philosophies dramatically different from mine, though I can stomach a short diatribe of dissenting opinions.

Years ago, I was told to blog about art, since I want to present my art. I was told I should discuss my technique and the themes of my painting. Well, today - everyday - understand "this" is my technique. I am informed, filled with wisdom and knowledge. It's applied in colors and layers. Themes develop, messages are conveyed. And for those who choose to listen with their eyes, the words (hidden in layers of colors and shapes) speak VOLUMES!!!

The Ancients

Wisdom of the ages doesn't end and begin with the old. There is knowledge and insight to be shared at any age. When an individual opens their mind to take in life, experience the moment, whether that moment is joyous or sad, in that moment, they experience liberation! And in that moment, they are available to perceive the wisdom and depths of the ALL.

Thought for The Day - The Unspoken Tongue

The Elements - 36 x 42, Oils

Red typically represents excitement, energy or passion. But it can also represent blood, which is life or in some cases, death.

Blue, depending on its shade, represents sky, water, cool, mellow or relaxed.

Green usually means life or nature.

Orange usually represents energy as well, but because of the association with the fruit, it can mean nutrition and healthy eating.

Yellow represents light, illumination and of course energy.

Without much thought, whether you have a favorite color or not, when you wear certain colors, it reflects your mood or personality. For some, it may represent a subtle impression about the environment where you are or you're going. Certain patterns in clothes, loaded with colors, attract us as we're shopping. Years ago, while working at a particularly reserved bank, a consultant came through and seeing the tie I wore that day, he said: "That's a power tie! That tie means something!" Mind you, I loved the subtle browns, deep oranges and burgundy colors of the tie and I know in some strange way, I liked the way it made me feel, but I hadn't given much thought to what others would think. I especially didn't think of it as a power tie and most importantly what "power" it gave!

Years ago, in college, a teacher of mine critiqued the above painting and said that I forced background tones to the foreground and vice-a-versa. Once again, I didn't see it that way; I only knew the feeling I had rendering it. I loved the way the colors moved and seemed to have an energy of their own.

There are things we immediately "know" while others dance around the periphery of our understanding. We can assume it's day because the sun is up or if you're like me, rising before it does, you know it because you're body responds to the time of morning. But there will always remain a degree of mystery; some facts remain incognito. But we can know about them, we can experience them without naming or identifying them.

Have you ever felt like the floor was dropping beneath you, or as if the area where you stood tilted? More on that another time.

Thought for The Day - Hasty

"Desire without knowledge is not good - how much more will hasty feet miss the way!" Proverbs 19:2 NIV

We are perpetually in a rush! There are few who are exceptions to this phrase. We are on the go, chasing after stuff and people. Our four year old car is no longer adequate, we MUST get another. Our clothes are last year's style; there are new clothes to be had. And electronics? At an average price of $200, we are prone to tossing out phones, televisions and computers every two years! We want what we want, except we aren't really sure why.

To the destruction of ourselves and those around us, we rush, lead by needs and desires that really won't satisfied. So what do we do? How do we put "knowledge" to use rather than being lead around by our desire? Consider professional athletes, dancers, and accomplished actors. Their success isn't made in minutes or hours, it is the result of years of hard work and discipline. It is practicing while others are asleep, it's waiting patiently for opportunities, all the while pressing for an open door to display their talents. The same goes for any person, celebrity or not, who desires something worthwhile and long lasting. Dedication, hard work and a clear vision of what can be achieved. That's how we build rich and vital lives.

Thought for The Day - Launching Out into the Deep

You never know what will move you out there or what you will experience when you get out into the "open seas," but you can trust you will discover as much about you as you do about the world!

There are many things I'm reluctant to do; some things don't fit my identity and aren't part of my make up . I don't need to feel get high from liquor and certainly not drugs; good conversation and good music do the trick for me. But there are some things I know I want to do and places I want to go and situations I want to experience. And quite honestly, not everything can be learned through YouTube!

I find that this journey has strange twists and turns and yesterday's failures become tomorrow's epiphany. I began "blogging" years ago, though I wasn't sure what I wanted to say. I was told by the experts that an artist should blog about his art and so I did. But I didn't always have something to say about it. I could blog about my relationship with God, my aspirations and my philosophies about life, but not art - at least not all the time. I wrote about what was on my mind. But "it" wasn't working; I wasn't feeling the need to do so.

"Back to life, back to reality, back to the here and now..." I went back to the corporate jungle, back to the places where income is the main thing and back to my old role. Oh how I hated the notion of doing so! I met a coworker who seemed to be the epitome of class and professionalism and with a wonderful smile. But the strangest thing: without warning, I would have this sense that everything wasn't right. I didn't know her well enough to ask and yet this feeling wouldn't go away. One day, on a whim, I sent an email to her, short and simple: "Whatever you're going through, no matter what the day brings, there is nothing God can't bring you through." She LOVED IT! And asked if I could send these every day - joking of course. But it stirred the idea: A thought for the day, with a theme. I mulled it over for a while and found there really was a theme for each day. Lord knows I write enough on my own without sharing it so with a little practice and development, and here we are!

I have found through this process, I am peeling back layers of my own frustrations and finding someone beneath the surface I forgot existed. I find that I am far more sensitive, meaning I am both spiritually and emotionally aware of other's feelings as well as hypertuned to my own. This 240 pound guy isn't afraid to admit he cries! Wow! Admitting that now puts me out further in the deep!

There are days I am certain I have so far to go; my goals are stretched out to the other end of the universe! And there days I don't think I have the strength or cunning to make it another inch. But each day, without fail, I am further along this journey. And everyday, there is another part of me peeled away and more of me revealed.

Thought for The Day - It's the Movement

Clear Channel 24 x 36 Oil painting

"You don't know what you think you know" and in the same breath: "You know more than you think you know."

That being said, there are times I certainly don't know; confusion is a blue haze around my head. And then, at other moments, not only has the smoke cleared, the light shines around and within; drowning in it! Not one area, but many.

Short story/example: one evening, before I got back to painting and drawing, and while working in the downtown area of Chicago, I walked from the job to the train stop. My head was filled with that blue, purple and brown haze; I didn't understand where my life was headed, and especially where it was at that moment. I knew I was tired of the commute, tired of career I could barely stomach and ministry that was stalled once again. Anticipating the ride home with a neighbor, talking about minuscule details of his job and the culture, I slowed my pace to a near snail's pace to avoid the small talk. I prayed for clarity, for an answer to the where of my life. I remember thinking "I need answers! Not because I deserve them or I'm anyone special, but I need to know what all 'this' means!" It began slowly, I remember being on Lake street, between Wabash and State street. And then I remember being "elsewhere," another time and place as if I were involved in a movie, where I was one of the characters. I saw my life far better than it was then and it is now. I saw answers given in ways I would expect, but with far more definition and clarity than I could imagine! However, during this time and as I got closer to the stop, I remember thinking I would like to right this down so I don't forget. But immediately thinking I would forget it, but it was okay because the reassurance was given. If I could remember that eventually "I know by experience" all I've ever imagined or been shown, I had a true hope.

Now, mind you, you don't see details of that revelation because I forgot them! All of the cinematic lighting and the scene changes as if the editor had done his work and pieced together a five minute short-story, all of it is gone. I only know what I was told and what was shown and that is enough for now. Certainly I have moments where I really want to "go there" again, and by go there, I mean back to those days, weeks and months leading up to that moment. I especially want to return to that vision and that time. But for now, I live my life in the light of what's happening now. And pray that patience and longsuffering find me where I need to be when the time is right.

Thought for The Day - It's Quiet for this time of the...

Somber

Introspective

Meditative

Solitude

Realize, you are never alone.

I've always been one to consider, to contemplate and absorb. I can remember from very early childhood, watching a television show and realizing, if it was a drama or detective show, in the first five minutes, the premise of this episode would be revealed. If it was an hour long show, the next 50 minutes would be dedicated to revealing the twists, pitfalls and ultimately the resolution. Pretty much always.

Watching my mother prepare dinner - and now my wife - the timing is nearly the same: prepare it with enough time to eat, clean, sit down for a bit and prepare for the next day.

Taking time to examine details usually requires concentration. Not that you and I, in a pinch, can't figure things out in the heat of the moment, but usually we can't be distracted by twelve other things. We need a moment to reflect. And the best time to do so...

Is early in the morning, while the house is quiet and the traffic - in and out of the house is at a minimum.

When you're out walking. Perhaps you walk for exercise, or to see who's where in your neighborhood. You might walk to the bus or train or to work. But it's a great time to take in your surroundings and determine where you "are" in the grand scheme of life.

When you're driving. You may be one of those people who require silence when you're driving. I prefer to have music playing, but there are times when the silence works as well.

It's always quiet at this time of the _________ because in those moments, your thoughts turn inward. We are more prone to listen, to consider and to be aware that while we are one being in the universe, the very fact of existence is known because we are there to experience it.

Be.

Thought for The Day - The Brightness and The Light

Of a feather 18 x 24 pastels

Let it in,

The illumination that comes from above,

The possibilities of life lived to the fullest

Not necessarily free of stress or absent of challenges

But celebrating struggle

And growing together

A life accompanied by Guidance and Help


All too often, we are motivated by what hurts us. Either we're trying to avoid it or we are inflicting it to preserve our existence. But it takes moments when we least expect it, to allow the light of God to shine in on our lives. Those moments, when you've "had enough," you can't take another worry or concern and your mind goes blank. But you're mind is never blank or without perception; we are always - especially when we're sleep - aware of our world. And our world is larger than what's visible and perceivable with our five senses!

Allow those moments when you absently stare at a car passing by, or a child playing, to guide you. Open your heart to hear the message waiting to be part of who you are. It will not guid in step-by-step instructions, the path you should take. So many times, you are exactly where you should be. But it will guide you, in the sense of pointing to details you're overlooking, over-analyzing or parts unknown.

Allow the light to shine "in you."

Thought for The Day - A LIttle Higher

I will lift up my eyes to the hills - from whence comes my help? - Psalms 121:1 (NKJV)

Years ago, my pastor at the time aptly explained this verse is a series of questions. The writer wasn't saying he would literally expect help from hills and mountains but making the comparison between an uninformed person to one who knows God and expects his help to come from a higher place.

In this moment, I acknowledge I need help from higher than I can reach. My arms are too short to reach heaven to bring down resources needed for the day. A friend mentioned words she heard from a sermon. Joel Osteen apparently communicated we should be praying with the expectation of "N-O-W!!!"I am there; I have reached a point where I realize my need is urgent and I extend my voice, my hand and heart to reach to the heavens!

There are times, in the quiet and stillness of a given moment, when it seems my prayers are answered. Knowledge and insight flow from above.

Reach!