Work continues!

I'm continuing to work along on this newest painting - and my ideas for the series that it will be a part of. I love the harmonized color here - and the feeling of fall that it evokes. More is yet to occur on this one, but you can see that it is progressing. Keep checking back! In a few more days, it should be done completely!

A work in progress

Just so you know - I've not been idle! I'm actually working on a new painting - which will begin a new series - based on the season of autumn. This, as you may be able to see, is an oil sketch of the idea. It measures 8x10". It has already moved on from this point, and I hope to post another update in the next few days. I think it will be quite dramatic and will have some wonderful combinations of color that evokes a sense of the fall season. Stay tuned!

Southwest Landscape - Old Oak

Old Oak, 6x8" Oil on canvas
©2009, Helen Read
ready to frame

For more information on the availability of this painting, please click here.

Another southwestern landscape! These are wonderful trees that grow in central Texas. They are old, and curve back to the ground, almost as if they have grown legs. With the right curvature, you can walk along the trunk!

Think Ahead - just a little! Gift Ideas!

Prints and Note Cards - reproductions of original art!

The season of gift giving is just around the corner, and I have some ideas for small gifts (under $25.00) through larger one-of-a-kind gifts.

And here's the best part!
Buy 2 or more sets of cards, a set of cards and a print, or 2 or more prints
and receive a free gift of a small set of pastel landscape note cards (limited edition)

See what's available here at my website!

Offer available now through December 2009.

Nest Eggs Print

Nest Eggs Print - 5x7" print, matted in white - ready to frame
outside dimensions - 8x10"
©2008, Helen Read
$25.00 per print
(shipping $7.00 in US, IL residents please add 8.25% sales tax)

Give the gift of fine art this holiday season! Order now!

After the Storm - above it all!

After the Storm, 11 x 14" Oil on canvas
©2009, Helen Read
Ready to Frame

Please email me for information on the availability of this painting
studio_upstairs@hotmail.com

Finally, finished! This took a little while, mostly because of the many other activities that are going on this month with work and family. But, I'm happy with the outcome. The clouds took many layers of glazing to achieve the colors and billowy appearance of the thunderhead. The reference photo was actually taken this summer after having driven through the storm. It was very intense, but quite beautiful as well. This is fairly typical summer weather on the south side of Lake Michigan! We missed the accompanying tornado by about 6 miles.

Work continues!

Compared to the image below, you can see that work has moved forward with this new painting. But, there have been many interruptions - including a short but fun trip out of town, and many work related responsibilities. All in all - though feeling overwhelmed and unsure about how to proceed at various places - it does seem to be coming together. Still more needs to be accomplished - but progress is happening!!

A new work in progress - storm clouds

Just so you know - I haven't posted this week, but that is because I am working on another, a bit larger painting. This - as you can see - is really about the drama of the skies. Just about a month ago, I drove through this storm in northern Indiana!! It was intense!! And as it turns out (I didn't know it at the time) there was a tornado just a few miles north of where I was! After we drove through it, this is what we saw behind us - an enormous bank of clouds. Very beautiful, and very large!

I'll post again as I complete more of the painting. Right now, I am adding layers of glazing to the clouds in order to achieve their very rich and variegated colors range.

Falling Leaves!

Falling Leaves, 5x5" Oil on canvas
©2009, Helen Read

Please click here for information on availability

September has slipped by and now we are beginning the month of October! In honor of the beauty of the season, I have portrayed my very first little handful of beautiful fall leaves! The colors are very rich and diverse within each leaf! I hope the inspire memories of a beautiful season in every viewer.

Finally!! a new painting....

Curbside Profusion, 10 x 8" Oil on canvas
©2009, Helen Read

Sold

It has been an incredibly busy month. The new school year has begun - that in itself is sheer craziness! And, I had an exhibit to put together and hang ~ which was hard work, but great! Both of these things are time intensive. But here and there I've also worked on another small painting and finally earlier this week, it was finished.

The story behind this one is simple - I saw this beautiful profusion of plants and grasses with many flowers blooming along the merchant district in our town! It caught my eye and my imagination because of its ... well - pure abundance! Thus the painting! I loved the shadows that fell and the many textures and colors. It was a little challenging getting all that chaos organized onto a canvas, but in the end - I think it portrays what I saw and enjoyed fairly well!

Paintings and writings from "Lessons from Matthew 6"

Lessons from Matthew 6

"...Consider the lilies of the field how they grow... yet not even Solomon in all his
glory was dressed as one of these. Your Heavenly Father already knows
all your needs, and he will give you all you need day by day if you live for him,
making his kingdom your priority."

A personal expression of faith:
A journey of questions and answers - A visual response.
(paintings ©Helen Read, with artist's notes)

Almost 10 years ago, I found myself in an unexpected place in life - devastating
life changes...
And deep questions haunted my heart:
Questions about God's love, questions about fear and God's protection and provision,
questions about the next steps.

His answers have been spoken through his Word and the beautiful tableau of his
creation. Through the language of beauty he has shown me his sustaining hand
and whispered quiet assurance of his love, strength and faithfulness.
The lovely work of his hand, as seen in creation, is the outpouring of his heart!

I love the pure abundance of flowers!
To me they are a statement of God's love. He gave his attention to the deepest, hidden parts while creating a profusion of colors, shapes, smells and sizes that capture our attention. Not only has he done it for his own delight, but as a gifting to us!
-----
He is a God of Exquisite Detail!
Not just in the beauty of the world around us, but as he deals with our hearts and lives.

His Love:
Passages that spoke to my heart very powerfully as I put forth my questions, even my doubts, about his love come from Isaiah.

"Can a mother forget her young children? Can she feel no love for the child she has
borne? Even if that were possible, I will not forget you! See! I have written your name on
my hand." (from Isaiah 49)

"For I have chosen you, and I will not throw you away!" (from Isaiah 41)

The God of Great Gifts has prepared beauty for the simple sake of beauty!
It bespeaks his very character. Often, he tucks His gifts into common things.... Gifts of love that are waiting to be discovered in passing moments, such as the tiny explosion of light as it hits a
delicate dew drop perched on the edge of a petal. He catches my eye in a
momentary display of wonder!



His Protection:
I can't count the number of times and myriad ways that I have been tempted and
often succumbed to fear. Fear about so many different things - sometimes well-founded
concerns that turn into dark foreboding thoughts. Sometimes my own imagination
begins to dictate my feelings.
In the depths of those time, his Spirit has met me in that lonely place.

"Its alright, I am here! Don't be afraid." (from Mark 6)

"Don't be afraid for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name, you are mine! When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. For I am the Lord your God! I am your Savior!"
(from Isaiah 43)


Look deep into creation. His character is seen in all the details he has lovingly created.
His provision is constant and he protects and sustains the work of his hands.

"He is a shield to those who take refuge in him." (from Proverbs 3)

Why, I wonder, does Fear find such a foothold?
It is the temptation to doubt the love that God has declared for me.
Right at the moment that I think I may be alone, fear takes root!
But if I stop to look to both his word and the truth of his creation, I
see Goodness, Strength, and Protection.

Even in the most severe environments, he offers his care.
Even in my most severe circumstances, he shields me.


His Provision:
God's provision is seen in every aspect of his creation!
Not just providing the barest of necessities, but pouring from his hand
is bountiful profusion.


"Look at the birds, they do not plant or harvest or store up food because your Heavenly Father
feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than they are." (From Matthew 6)

"You crown the year with a bountiful harvest. Even the hard pathways overflow
with abundance!" (from Psalm 68)

Abundance can take many forms; not always in temporal things - but rather in the
heart - in the quiet certainty that, contrary to all appearances, God will provide!


The realm of nature provides such a wonderful example of God's provision.
Faithfully, he sends everything required for life, for everything he has created.

For his own people, though, his own reputation is on the line!
What kind of God would faithfully sustain the natural world and then neglect
the children whom he treasures? For the sake of his own name, he
faithfully provides and in his inimitable way, he provides bountifully!
I detect joy in his giving!

His Guidance:
Many times along the way, I have had no sense of what lies just beyond this day or this moment!
The next step, no matter which direction, is a step clouded in obscurity.

How I have struggled with uncertainty!
And yet, as I wait, a plan unfolds - often quietly without great fanfare -
but in ways far beyond my ability to have imagined.
And every piece of it fits into place with perfection!
There is only one explanation: Someone else's plan was in play!

"For I am about to do a brand new thing. See! I have already begun. Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness!" ( from Isaiah 43)

" 'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord. ' Plans for good and not for disaster,
to give you a future and a hope.' " (from Jeremiah 29)

"He cares for his people with a true heart and leads them with skillful hands."
(from Psalm 78)

The journey is still in progress. I will continue to find instruction in God's lovely
creation. The pathway, I have found, is never marked out in detail ahead of
where I am today.

But, I can say this with certainty:
"I still belong to you! You are holding my right hand, you will keep on guiding me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny." (Psalm 73: 23-24)

Lesson from Matthew 6 Exhibit

Exhibit Opens September 20, 2009
Evangel Baptist Church
1800 Manchester Rd. - Wheaton, IL
9:30 am

Lessons from Matthew 6

Pink Petunia, ©2008, Helen Read, Oil on canvas

"...consider the lilies of the field how they grow...yet, not even Solomon in
all his glory was dressed like one of these... Your heavenly father already knows all
your needs, and he will give you all you need day by day if you live for him,
making his kingdom your priority."

A personal expression of faith: A Journey of Questions and Answers -
A Visual Response.
_______________________________

I've been busily working to put together this solo exhibit. It will be on display for several weeks. Here on my blog, I'll be "showing" the exhibit with my artist's notes for several posts. As it unfolds, it tells the story of a personal journey through difficult years. I hope you'll come back to visit and see the progression.

Dunes, beach, and lighting

Dunes, 6x8" Oil Pastel on Paper

Click here for more information on the availability of this painting

I continue to work with my small pastel studies, as I've done frequently through the summer. Here I was hoping to capture some of the interesting light that can occur in water and sand. The colors are certainly not ones that occur in the actual setting, though - they are somewhat believable as they harmonize together. It has a nice feel - but would even be better in oil. So, I may put this one to canvas! We'll see! (Maybe when it is icy outside!)

Other than this small study, I'm working feverishly now (with lots of interruptions, it seems) on all the details for the upcoming exhibit! I think it will be put together in time - well... it just has to be, so it will be! But there is still lots to do.

Upcoming Exhibit!

What a crazy week! School has now gotten started - which is always hectic. There have been some other rather large family happenings this week - and, as you can see from the image above, I am now preparing for an exhibition of many of my botanical works. All that to say, just so you know - I have been working ... not so much on new pieces (though I have 1 in the works at the moment), but on putting things together for a public viewing.

For my local friends, this invitation is extended to you! On Sunday at 9:30 AM, in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the church I attend, these works - and more - will be exhibited. Not only that, but there will also be presented that morning the world premier performance of a choral composition (Hosea 6:3) by a Wheaton area musician/composer! (Location: Evangel Baptist Church - 1900 Manchester Rd., Wheaton, IL)

I'm excited to present this exhibit because it is a sort of personal, visual journal of how - during tumultuous years in my life - the words of Matthew 6 have played out and proven true. Not only am I presenting the visual response in the form of paintings, but also many of my thoughts in the form of artist's notes.