Visual Art is a beautiful language using the elements and principles of art. As a painter and art instructor for many years, I also enjoy writing, nature, family and friends. The world of art is fun, challenging, exhausting and renewing all at the same time!
Please note, I am no longer using paypal. I'm in the process of removing paypal buttons. Secure credit card purchases are still available on my website! https://HelenCRead.com
As busy as it has been, my work has begun on this 2 part painting (diptych) I've gotten the underpainting done and started laying in some values of the darker range. Each of these measures 11x14", so a total of 11x28".
As I've been getting deeper into this piece, I'm particularly intrigued by the beautiful reflections in the water, as well as the subtle color changes in the fall foliage. Such tranquil beauty!
Last week, on a visit to a nearby forest area, as the sun was sinking low in the west, it lit up the landscape with a beautiful mysterious golden light that also brought out the lavenders in the tree tops.
It was indeed breath taking.
And the watery reflections were another element made more mysterious by the light.
I was able to capture it and make several thumbnail sketches.
How can paint do justice to this beauty?
How can paint capture the glory of golden light and its effects?
Such moments are reminders that as artists we only attempt to interpret the glory of God's creation.
He is the Master Artist.
These are the first steps in the process of a new work, which I believe will be a diptych:
1. See the beauty and absorb it 2. Sketch it - trying to grasp its grandeur 3. Find wonder and delight in observing and recording it
It is a gray, rain drenched morning- easy to think of staying in bed - of hibernating another few hours. But.... there is beauty to be found, and even on this gray day - the Creator's whispers to be heard for attentive ears.
Moments to savor this morning: A cup of tea, warm pumpkin muffins (with chocolate chips - because everything is better with chocolate!), butter, of course! And a journal of Grace Notes ...a chronicle of small (easily missed) moments of grace given as gifts from the hands of God.
What does this have to do with art, you may ask!
Everything!!... Taking time to notice, to listen, to take wonder in, to give thanks for....all of this must be part of the artist's life and practice. These are moments when wonder and joy inform our hearts. When ideas take shape. And when we begin to understand the love with which our world was created and is daily sustained. This is when we may hear the whispers of God when we take time to listen.
I have a small journal I've named Grace Notes for these moments - and every time I add an entry, I am reminded how important this is and how easily in the daily demands of life it is to neglect to give thanks - or even to take notice of the small beauties of the world around me.
On this fall day this is my entry:
Falling Leaves
From green in its many shades and varieties, the colors change.
Green becomes yellow gold, or orange, or red.
A blaze of rich beauty burning brightly.
And then the mantle of color drops or is swept by the wind to carpet the earth.
A final generosity before all is bare and winter's chill sets in.
Fall is a flourish...of color - bright and beautiful, gracing our steps.
So, even in seasons of change, how delightful it is to notice beauty and give thanks for our Creator's small gifts. These things represent and reflect who He is. I, too, sense I'm in a season of change. So, I'm looking for small beauties and lovely reminders that I'm being graced by His kind and loving Presence.
Take a moment and notice! Leave a comment below to tell me what you have discovered!
The last light of the evening - burning brightly against the darkening sky. It all resembles hot embers still glowing in a dying fire. What a beautiful artistic display of light, lighting the sky and horizon with one last blaze.
For me, it is a final gift for the evening - the Creator Artist sends His benediction of beauty with the promise of new light in the new day.
It is very exciting whenever I sell my work! I make it with that in mind! This drawing, Curvature, was made about 6 years ago. It is colored pencil on paper. I posted it and then that was it..... until a little earlier this month when I was contacted by a design firm in San Francisco with a client who was interested in using it in their advertising and packaging. So with some further negotiations, an agreement has been made and the original work has been sold. And you just might be seeing it if you enjoy a good cup of coffee at Peet's! I'm not entirely sure exactly how it will be used, but I'm excited that it will be used!
Its a sunny summer day with blue skies and big fluffy clouds that float lazily along. Summer also means fields of flowers - and crickets and cicadas. This painting depicts such a day. It is ready to frame and bring a touch of summer indoors.
A new painting! There are numerous steps to prepare for a new painting.
1. Concept --- what captures my attention? What do I find interesting, beautiful, intriguing? What speaks to me and causes me to want to interpret it, explore it, and use it as a vehicle to learn and speak of something?
2. Arrangement & Editing - how will I best arrange the elements to make visual sense? Will I remove certain things, reposition certain things, simplify? How can the arrangement of the components draw the eye of the viewer into the painting?
3. Evaluation - What values are shown? Are these realistic values and how can I make notations so that when I mix my paint I have the proper values. (You can probably see some of my notations in the top thumbnail and value study)
4. Create an underpainting - lay in thin washes of neutral colors to establish the composition and values.
This is what you see in the lower image - which is a partial underpainting before I ran out of time this evening.
Next steps will be
1. Finish the underpainting
2. Establish the color harmony that I want to use.
3. Mix paint for for proper color temperatures, mixtures, and values
4. Begin to paint in thin layers, building up my painting.
Of course, throughout all this process I will be evaluating as I go to be sure I'm on target.
This landscape will be 9x12" when finished and just in the first 4 steps at the top, a good amount of work and time has already been invested. As the artist, I only have an idea of where this is going to end up - some of it will be determined along the way as the painting begins to speak to me!
It's always a surprise when someone finds my work and has a special request! A week or so ago, someone got in touch with me from England to ask for a design that they wanted to have made into a tattoo. So, with a little bit of email discussion back and forth to find out exactly what was wanted - this is was the final design, sent off this evening.
It's an honor to have someone want to wear your art! And, what a pretty tattoo this will be! This is the 2nd tattoo design I've done for someone ... both of them from England!
A collection of 11 landscape paintings of God's beautiful physical world with an artist's response.
The Landscape
Speaks to the Artist’s Heart
This series of
paintings, accomplished over a period of several years, is meant to capture the
beauty and wonder of the created world with its ever changing properties; the
play of light, the depth of shadow, its changing colors as they brighten and
fade, its proper clothing for the various seasons.
As I paint, I have also found that the landscape and all of creation, speak to
me of the vastness, the beauty, the wisdom of our God who created it all.I see His joy in what He has
crafted, from expansive vistas to the close up view.I see His intimacy and attention to the smallest details.
In response, my heart is called to prayer as I observe His lovely world. I am
reminded of the faithfulness, the goodness ~ the GLORY~
of our beautiful God as He invites us to enter into it.
Winter Twilight,comes early in February.It descends quietly.The birds cease their wintry song and
the gentle peace of evening falls with a final wash of setting sun on the
horizon.
“Oh Lord, Your
goodness – Your beauty – is cast across Your creation, even in the bleakness of
winter.The final light of the
evening bears witness of Your presence as a cold night falls.” Winter Twilight, 24x36”
Oil on stretched canvas,Helen
Read - 2016
The Thaw ~ those last days of
winter before spring has yet to arrive.The earth is shrouded in its waiting.The dried leaves and traces of snow leave a broken path
toward what will be.And so,
patience becomes the instructor.
“I live in a
hurried world; a frenetic world.Yet, I am reminded by observing Your world, Lord, that patience is a
virtue.You are patient and kind
in Your tender care over my hurried life.You never fail, and my lessons in waiting are never futile.”
The Thaw, 9x12” Oil on Gesso
BoardHelen Read -
2015
Tall Oaks -standing upright,
towering above the others in the
field - these 3 are strong, with spreading branches; beautiful sentinels that
speak silently of their Maker.
“Lord of Heaven –
righteous and holy – let me find all my contentedness in You.Strengthen me to stand firmly where You
have planted me.”
Tall Oaks, 20x16” Oil on canvas
panel, Helen Read – 2016
Spring Awakens, Listen!These new spring days are filled with joyful song… the birds
have returned, the first leaves of green are emerging where once - not long ago
- snow blanketed the earth.Today,
Life Rejoices!
“My spirit soars,
Lord, as I breathe in the celebration that ushers in spring.You are faithful in all Your ways.You nurture Your creation.You accept her glad praise!
Spring Awakens, 12x9” Oil on Linen PanelHelen Read - 2016
Lincoln Marsh
Pathway, itwinds right and then
left – it splits off and rejoins.What winding uncertainty!What lies ahead?A destination not fully known.
“Oh, Faithful
Lord, forgive my many doubts when I can’t see far ahead.When I look back, You have always known
the true path and held my hand, showing me the way.Why would I doubt You now?”
Lincoln
Marsh Pathway,
12x9” Oil on Linen PanelHelen
Read - 2016
Arbor
Pathway.Sunlight and
shadow;they always go hand in
hand.But without one, there is no
other.Both enhance and define the
vista.
“You remind me,
Lord,through
observing Your world, that where there are shadows, there is the promise of
Your light.There is not one
without the other.And yes, they
both give definition – they both are
the story of my path.”
Arbor
Pathway, 16
x 12” Oil on Stretched Canvas,Helen Read - 2015
Quiet Water.If you listen, you will hear the sound
of full summer – a very gentle breeze, the hum of cicadas, the ripples of water
as it laps along the edge.All this abundance clad in green.Creation breathes peace to the soul.
“How could I not
be reminded of these lines of David’s psalm,‘…He leads me beside still water, he restores my soul…’You are the great restorer, Lord.
You are the source of peace, and You give it gladly.”
Quiet Water, 12x9” Oil on Linen
PanelHelen Read -
2015
Moving Waters, rushing, churning,
whirling, stirring… troubled water.In this great force, one sees both power and that which sustains.There is no quiet reflection
here, but a streambed that is pulled upward toward the surface.There are times when life itself has
this turbulence… uncertainty, unexpected events, transitions.
“In troubled
times, Lord, I first see only the TROUBLE. It looms large and is overwhelming.I easily forget to look beyond the
forces of turbulence to see Your power is greater still and that Your hand is
steady.Iam slow to comprehend that perhaps You
have allowed the rushing, churning, whirling of life around me and will teach
me of your goodness.
I find comfort in this - You have promised to sustain me.”
Moving
Waters, 8
x 10” Oil on Stretched CanvasHelen Read - 2015
The Tunkhannock
Viaduct.
It
rises toward the sky and takes flight above a world of tangled green.Through its arches and openings, the
shimmering sunlight vibrates with life.Even in man’s great constructions, the Creator’s touch gives a greater
beauty.
“Yes, great feats
of engineering and skill have been allowed to us in our humanity. But You,
Lord, bless the works of our hands with Your touch of beauty and majesty.Without Your touch, our greatest works
are ordinary and temporal.I need
Your touch on everything I do!”
Tunkhannock
Viaduct,
9x12” Oil on Stretched CanvasHelen Read - 2013
Golden October,Oh Color… Golden Color -clothing for the autumn
season…Magnificence that merely echoes the glory of God! How can we comprehend
this otherworldly beauty?
“As I gaze at Your
unbridled extravagance of color, Lord, it speaks of Your joy!You spare nothing in the way of
glorious, beautiful color.You
feed our souls with just a hint of Your glory!”
Golden October, 12x9” Oil on Linen
PanelHelen Read - 2016
Autumn at Herrick
Lake, is
a study of reflections and all that lies beyond.Look deeply, beyond
the shadows, beyond the carpet of floating leaves. There is the mystery of
eternity here, nearly hidden.
“Beyond all I can
see, beyond my ability to imagine… You are there, Lord, with a vast and
unmeasured beyond.What I can see
is all that I imagine to exist, but You have treasures that I have never
contemplated and an eternity in which to reveal them.”
Autumn at Herrick
Lake, 10 x 8” Oil on Linen PanelHelen Read - 2015
____________________
Exhibit may be viewed:
Evangel Baptist Church 1900 Manchester Rd, Wheaton, IL
Frames are solid wooden frames - photo can be provided. Please add $20.00 shipping within the US., IL residents please add 8% sales tax. International shipping quoted upon request.
I've just returned home from a week out of town, so I'm posting a set of 3 paintings from a few summers ago.
These have been on a long term loan, but are now returning to my studio.
They are still available!
I love their bright color and the interesting array of the center ~ a sense of being on fire! The seeds in the center of a coneflower actually follow the fibonacci sequence, which is nearly impossible to duplicate in paint - but you do get a sense of the order in these paintings.
