Spring time in Texas

I occasionally do attempt representational painting, and this is one such attempt. As you can see, the results are very abstract.

This was my first try at painting the wildflowers of Texas. The Blue Bonnets fading into the Crimson Clover. The fields with their riots of color, each looking like paint splattered upon a canvas. Driving past field after field, and gradually watching the colors shift as I drove into Louisiana, the artist part of my brain was busy plotting on how to paint this scene.

The green background was laid down in careful hues of green. The light green, dark green, yellowed green. Each was painted. And then I took a toothbrush, and started flicking the water colors on top. It's a slow process to build up the splattered paint, but well worth the effort.

Texas Easter

This painting was inspired by my drive to Louisana to see my friend Natalie. The miles of wildflowers captured my imagination. I loved the splattered colors that spilled over to each other. I loved the bright colors against the green background.

These colors though come from Texas. The blue is reminscent of Texas Blue Bonnets, the state flower. The orange reminds me of the Indian Paint Brush. I never could find the name of the bright yellow flowers that bloom. But the purple/crimson is Crimson Clover.

The flowers bloom in the Spring. A Texas tradition is to go get your Easter pictures in a field of Blue Bonnets, or other wild flowers. Here I have a Cross to represent the real reason behind Easter!

Durrow

The Book of Durrow is thought to be one of the earliest Celtic Gospels. Composed of the Books of Matthew, John, Luke and Mark. The style shows the blooming of the celtic decoration styles.

This piece is composed of mostly Celtic interlace, otherwise known as Celtic knot work, on a background of purple water color. The interlace is worked in colors very common to Celtic Gospels, light green, orange, aqua blue and red. The Celtic Artist were limited to the colors that they could either produce, or import. In the early stages of their Art there were few colors that were imported. By the time the 12th century came along that had changed significantly.

This piece has been chosen to particpate in a local art show that will run from May 18- June 15.

Irqa

Irqa- "READ!" The angel Gabriel commanded the prophet Mohammad. Mohammad, a poor orphan who was tossed from family to family as a child stuttered, "I can not read."

"READ" again the angel commanded.

"I can not," the poor man said again, not sure where this conversation with the divine was going.

"READ what I put in your mind" the angel finally said, and began to deliver his proclamation.

And so began the importance of literacy in the Arabic world. When Europe trudged thru the illiterate dark ages, the Muslim world already had over 800 years of social literacy. Children were required to go to school and learn to read the Quaran.

READ

The Quaran is the background of this piece. In the foreground is the Bismallah, the Islamic Confession of faith. The word Allah is cut from the Bismallah giving a view of the Quaran. The specific thing that Muslims are commanded to read.

So READ!

By His Blood

The dominant color of red just brings to mind the attonement of Christ.

The background is an orange that was painted wet in wet, and then splattered with a variety of other colors.

This was more a happy accident then something that I planned on. I happened the red Steps pattern out, and as I was looking at it, it dawned on me that the pink/purple layer I had recently cut would work well with it. So the red patterned layer is actually glued behind the pink/purple water color.

The Steps pattern is a classic celtic pattern that is often based on a cross shape. It repeats, and is varied to create a wide vocabulary of patterns. I've been experimenting with it, creating carpet pages, filled with step patterns.

Peace, my peace I leave with you

These are companion pieces, so I'm showing them side by side. The piece on top is inspired by Mosque mosiac patterns. It is created using water color and pen and ink. The colorful parts of it are water color. The black lines were drawn in using pen and Ink. It is backed onto yellow and green water color.

Then the arabic calligraphy was cut out of it. It says, As Salam. Peace. In Islam there are 99 names of God. Peace, Allah, is the God of Islam, he is perfect peace itself.

The second piece is created using the cut calligraphy, backed onto water color painting. I never know if I should say painting. I mean, I do use paint, but do I actually paint with it? Rarely are there brushes involved in what I do. I take containers of paint and spill them on the page, watching as the colors blend into one another. The final product is what God might paint on my page, blending the colors together like He does a sunset, the final product more subtle and complex then human hand could ever create.

If God wills it.

Matthew- the Man

The background is from the Book of Matthew, a modern Bible. I am enchanted with the Four Gospels from the various Celtic translations. In the celtic world each of the Gospels is associated with a certain icon, called an Evangelist. For the illiterate people the icon of a man would symbolize the Evangelist of Matthew. They refrenced the different perspectives of each of the Gospels. Matthew, the very Jewish Gospel, has the Evangelist of the Man.

I'm experiementing with a more simplistic celtic cross. So far I like the results I am getting. It is much easier to see the Cross itself in this design.

Piece is sold.

Ian

Ian is the Scottish form of the name John. The four Gospel's were translated into the Celtic languages during from the 600-1000AD. They were intricately illuminated, using many symbols such as the cross to echo the words laid out in the scripture. Each of the Gospels had their own pictoral and symbolic language that was used on a regular basis.

The background of this piece is the gospel of John. My son Ian was involved in the color choices to create this piece that bears his name.

Flame Allah

Finally! An arabic piece that actually involves Kufic! The blue calligraphy is actually English in the Kufic style, the name "Allah". Absolutely beautiful in it's own right.

I then cut out the name Allah in Arabic in a flame caligraphy design. The background is water colors in oranges and reds to reflect the caligraphy design.