But the Lord looks at the HEART

But the LORD looks at the HEART

Journal page inspired by I Samuel 16:7

by Cheryl Harris White

For this page I used a black water color wash, and red and orange oil pastels.  Written on the heart, is the Bible Verse from I Samuel 16:7 and around the outside is my prayer.  I dare you to pray it too and just wait and see what happens.

Inside the heart it says... "For the LORD sees not as man sees, For man looks at the outward appearance, But the LORD looks at the HEART." 

I thought today would be an appropriate time to reflect on my list of 1000 gifts.  Each gift on the list records a moment when God showed up in some real way.  What I learned from doing this was, that whether or not I choose to notice or acknowledge God and the good things He does give us every day... He is still there and He is really good.  I've noticed that whenever a horrible catastrophe occurs or and accident happens, people are quick to say, "Where was God when that happened?" or "If God is good, then why this or that?"  or "This isn't fair, why me, I deserve better... etc " I understand this line of thought, because I've been there too, asking the same whining questions, and that thought process lead me to nowhere but pain and anger, depression and frustration.  Writing this list didn't change the bad things that happen in our world.  There was still dying, wars, hunger, tragedies going on, but it changed me.  Instead of focusing on the negatives, it lead me to focus on the many small positive things and grew an attitude of thankfulness inside my heart.  Instead of arguing with God part of the time and doubting He even cared the rest of the time, I was drawn to know Him more.  He does have good things to give us, if we would just quit worrying about what we don't have, and focus on what He is doing and trust Him, we would all see. I learned that God cares and He shows us in a million different ways a day, invisible ways that most people never see.  I've been lucky enough to simply notice 1,000 of them and I feel blessed.  

Sow with Tears, Reap with Joy 1000 Gifts 981 - 1000

Reap with Joy
Journal Page inspired by Psalms 126:5-6
by Cheryl Harris White

I loved how this one turned out.  I found this picture in a magazine and matched the colors from the background with water color.  Then I used black water color and tilted my sketchbook up to let them run.  On the left I listed things that bring tears and on the right listed things that bring Joy. . . 

My List of 1000 Gifts Continued....

981) Watching Caleb's team play baseball with Barbara and Tommy                                                                                 

982) Sunshine on the weekend

983) Courtney's confidence in her decisions

984) Caleb's determination 

985) A comfy reading chair in my art studio

986) A great night of discussion with my book study group
987) More ideas than I have time to paint

988) Courtney's beautiful singing

989) True friends

990) Caleb's high five

991) Learning something new every time I go to art class

992) Flowers growing in our yard

993) Taking a stand for what I believe is right

994) A 30 minute nap at lunch time today

995) Character when faced with a difficult choice

996) Resolve to change for the better

997) Purpose at work

998) Spiritual Direction

999) Significance in Christ

1000) Looking at the life I have and feeling an overwhelming sense of awe, gratefulness, and joy.

A Little Rain Must Fall

A Little Rain Must Fall 

Journal Page in water color

by Cheryl Harris White

This was easy.  I drew five swirly circles with ink.  Then filled each one with a splotch of matching water color and tilted up my notebook and let the paint drip down to make the stems.  A wash of green for grass and greyish blue for sky and I was done.

He keeps my tears in a bottle and 1000 Gifts 961 - 980

Tears in a bottle
Journal Page inspired by Psalm 56:8
by Cheryl Harris White

This one is kind of deep, so I'll let you all wade through it yourselves.  I did the bottles and cup with water color crayons, the background is a combination of oil pastel and collage of torn paper.  

My List of 1000 Gifts Continued....

961) Hot cleansing tears

962) Grief so I better understand the sorrows of others

963) Knowing My sorrows do matter

964) Knowing that joy comes in the morning

965) and it is all the sweeter then

966) Psalm 56:8
967) Being a mom

968) Being free

969) Seeing plans come to fruition

970) Watering the flowers

971) Drinking in nature's beauty

972) The sound of life in the trees

973) The smell of earth

974) The sun

975) Being life giving

976) Bits of paper and glue telling a story

977) Laughing with friends old and new

978) Each numbered day unwasted

979) Photographs 

980) Worms, because if they are there I know it's good dirt

Seeing with the eyes of God

Seeing with the EYES of GOD

Journal page inspired by Romans 5:8

by Cheryl Harris White

  

If I am a SHEEP and 1000 Gifts 941-960

If I am a sheep
Journal Page Collage
inspired by Isaiah 53:6
by Cheryl Harris White

I thought this turned out really cool.  That's all I'll say about this one... and here is some more of my list! ALMOST to 1000!

941) Waking from a delicious sleep

942) Bulbs

943) Pansies

944) The first pink rose of the season

945) Work

946) Rest
947) Grass

948) Isaiah

949) Being loved

950) Belonging

951) Father and son talking 

952) A gorgeous day outside

953) Goals

954) My family working as a team

955) Hot water

956) Digging and planting in good dirt

957) Water in the bird bath

958) Flowers in the earth

959) Geraniums

960) Sore muscles

At WAR with COLOR

At WAR with COLOR
Journal page by Cheryl Harris White

I'm not really any more, but there was a time in my painting when I felt at war with color. . . in the very beginning.  I had a love / hate relationship with it.  Since then I've learned so much about color and how to mix it and make it work for me.  I make it do what I want it to do now, but it wasn't always that way.  I can say I LOVE color now and it loves me back. The black and white side was done with sketching pencils and the color side is a collage of photos, paper, stickers and magazine scraps.  

SIN

SIN
Journal Page in Oil Pastel
inspired by the many mistakes I've made in my life
by Cheryl Harris White

I almost didn't post this one because it is so ugly.  But when I think about sin, that's really what it is.... ugly.  The letters are dark grey, sick with hints of green and yellow.  The words inside the letters say... "Sin always costs you more than you can afford to pay...Keeps you longer than you want to stay... and always hurts deeper than they say. " The red at the top of the letters represents that our sins were paid for with the sacrifice of blood... Christ's blood shed to forgive us, through his death on the cross. 


The trouble with sin really, is naming and measuring it.  People have so many different perspectives on what sin is and what it isn't.  My view is, that sin is anything that separates me farther from God.   I believe that we all need to worry less about which of our sins was worse or better, or what degree of sin we've been involved in.  Some people even like pointing out how horrible the sins of others are in an effort to make themselves feel better about their own small ones.  What a mess.  Sin is sin. It's very dangerous, painful and expensive, and we are all guilty of it.


I've found it's much better to quit obsessing over all that.  Instead I prefer to simply focus more on activities and routines that draw me closer to God.  After all, He's the One who paid for all our sin in the first place, and He is really the only One who knows or needs to know what each one cost.  Shifting my focus onto who God is and how I can know Him has made all the difference.  As a result, I still sin, but I'm not overwhelmed by it.  I know God loves me, I'm much happier, and I seem to do much better at staying out of trouble. 

Psalm 139 Art Journal Page

Art Journal Page

Mixed Media

by Cheryl Harris White

Inspired by Psalms 139:16-18

13 “For You formed my inward parts;

You wove me in my mother’s womb.

14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Wonderful are Your works,

And my soul knows it very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from You,

When I was made in secret,

And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;

16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;

And in Your book were all written

The days that were ordained for me,

When as yet there was not one of them.”

Art Journal and 1000 gifts 921 - 940

In March, I'll be posting some of my favorite art journal pages.  To do these, I use pretty much anything on hand...watercolor, oil pastels, collage, stickers, stencils, stamping, marker, colored pencils.  For me, a journal page is inspired by something I am learning or studying, usually from the Bible, but sometimes just a poem or even a quote or thought that is meaningful to me.  It is a creative outlet combining journaling with a visual image or reminder of what is impacting to me, what I am praying about, or struggling with.  There are lots of blogs and websites devoted strictly to art journals and I found most of them inspiring.  I think anyone can benefit from keeping some form of a journal,  I just prefer to do mine visually.  So, just for March, I'll be sharing some photos of a few of my recent art journal efforts.

Art Journal Page

Mixed Media

by Cheryl Harris White

The background is a combination of water color crayon and blue and brown paper.  I dipped my foot in red paint and stepped on the page and accidentally splattered a bit.  Then I decided I liked the red spatters and did more on purpose.  I really liked adding the road at the bottom.  It was a sticker I found in my old scrapbooking supplies.  The center is a picture of Vincent Van Gogh's Japanese Bridge in the Rain 1887.  This page encouraged me to start something big, even though at first it seemed overwhelming.

My list of 1000 Gifts continued...

Friday, March 2nd, 2011  

921) Duke back after his long trip away

922) Last lunch with my Dad before he drove back home

923) High five with an 86 year old hand and mine

924) Art journaling with my daughter

925) Shivering through the first scrimmage of the baseball season 

926) The look on my baseball son's face after playing
927) Surprise visits

928) Sharing my art with others

929) A job so close to my home

930) The smell of spring starting in my backyard

931) Helping my dad tape up his car window

932) Getting to eat chocolate without a migraine

933) The absence of constant pain

934) A sky full of red

935) Sitting outside on a bench in the middle of a beautiful day watching Titus

936) Bulbs

937) Birds singing

938) Just enough being more than enough

939) Decent report cards

940) Seeing life as a journey

Blue Vase and 1000 Gifts 901-920

Our most recent project in art class has been vases of flowers. Everyone's flowers were different, yet they were all absolutely beautiful. I had so much fun with it, that I came home and started another similar to it (below). The exercise was huge success for all, except for the poor bug who flew right into my painting and drowned himself in my thick yellow paint.  What a horrible way to go.  We all agreed it would have been a much better experience for him, if he had ended it all in one of our glasses of wine instead, but it wasn't meant to be. Maybe it was his way of telling me he just really liked my flowers.

Blue Vase of Flowers
Oil on Canvas Board
by Cheryl Harris White
9" x 12"

My list of 1000 Gifts continued...


Friday, February 24th, 2011  
901) Routine
902) Change
903) Stretching
904) Growth 
905) Milestones
906) Gladness in my heart
907) Realized hopes I didn't know I even wanted
908) Talking about flowers with a new friend
909) Four women painting vases o flowers at art class and laughing while we do it.
910) Relationships
911) Remembering my heritage
912) Helping things that grow
913) New life
914) A good neighbor showing kindness
915) Caleb selling his mugs for football
916) Pink in the sky
917) Damp shadows on the grass
918) The cool earth getting ready to bloom
919) Hearing my kids laughing
920) Shower gel

1000 Gifts 881-900 and a Cake

This month Paint On My Walls is officially one year old and to celebrate this blogging milestone, I painted picture of a birthday cake with one candle for my blog.   I just love celebrating milestones.  It gives me such a sense of accomplishment to look back at the beginning of this journey and see how far I have come emotionally, spiritually and creatively.  

There was a time in my life when I really wanted to paint but couldn't even force myself pick up a brush. I wanted to worship God, but couldn't find my voice.  I wanted to live, but felt dead.  I have a story, and part of that story includes a dark journey through depression to a life I could have never known with out God's merciful love toward me.  This is the reason I am writing a list of 1000 gifts.  This is why I paint, and why Paint On My Walls is about celebrating color, light and life.  I celebrate all these things, because there was a time when I couldn't.  So in this post, I sing with paint and say, "Happy Birthday" to Paint On My Walls!

Birthday Cake With One Candle
by Cheryl Harris White
Oil on Canvas Board
9" x 11"

Since I am working with oils and a palate knife this month, that is what I used.  I loved mixing these primary colors until they were just right.  There is actually a little bit of red, blue and yellow in every color you see here, even the white icing on the cake.  I spread the white paint mixture very thick.  It actually felt like I was icing a real cake.  The only difference was, I couldn't like my knife.

My List of 1000 Gifts Continues...

881) Depression
882) Darkness
883) Pain
884) Sadness
885) Tears
886) Sorrow
887) Crushed dreams
888) Rebellion
889) Loss
890) Wishing
891) Hope
892) Acceptance
893) Understanding
894) Humility
895) Naming gifts I am thankful for
896) Contentment
897) Trust
898) Joy
899) Believing
900) Color, Light and Life

1000 Gifts 861-880

These were done with very thick oil paint being spread with a palate knife. I definitely had more fun painting Poppies with oil paint than acrylic. 

Five Poppies
by Cheryl Harris White
Oil on With Palate Knife
On Canvas Board
9 " x 12"




Continuing my list of1000 Gifts 861-880

861)  Seeing things I want to paint

862)  People under umbrellas

863)  A pink glow in the sky at the end of the day 

864)  A child's laughter

865)  Canadian geese

866)  Pink lady apples

867)  Juicy pears

868)  Catching up with old friends

869)  Crisp air 

870)  Walks

871)  Tulips

872)  Poppies

873)  Pansies

874)  A daughter who sings

875)  A son who plays baseball

876)  Recovery 

877) The stories of Madeline

878) and The Velveteen Rabbit

879) Mist shrouded trees 

880) Music in the morning 

A Painting With Boats

My favorite night of the week is the night I go to art class .  I am studying with Dominique Galleron Johnson an excellent artist with a studio in Grapevine.  This was our first painting and I got to bring it home last night.  It feels windy to me, but yet also calm and restful. 

A Painting with Boats
by Cheryl Harris White
Oil with Palate Knife
on Canvas Board
18" x 24"

Apples To Apples

Palate knife and oil paint apples.  At my first oil painting class our teacher had us paint an apple using only a palate knife. I loved mixing the colors for this project.  Here is one of my first attempts...

Hello I'm An Apple
by Cheryl Harris White
Oil on Canvas
4" x 6"

The painting above says to me, "Hello, I'm an apple... a solid roundish shape sitting here just waiting for something."  and it is fine if you like that sort of thing.   I can definitely tell it is an apple, but the painting doesn't make me believe it is really full of juicy sweet goodness... and so I just had to try again... 

Joy! Bliss! Tart and Crisp!
by Cheryl Harris White
Oil on Canvas Board
6" x 6"

I just couldn't be done until my apple shouted, "Joy! Bliss! I am cool, tart and crisp and just looking at me is like wiping the juice off your chin after a crunching off a bite of my delicious nourishing sweetness!"  Ahhh, it glows!   If I had to eat an apple, I'd choose this one...wouldn't you?

Pear

This was done with oil paint and a palate knife, no brushes.  It was a lot of fun to mix these colors and the paint just spread on like butter on toast.  I really like this medium so much more than using acrylics. Can't wait to try more.

Pear
by Cheryl Harris White
Oil on Canvas
4" x 6"

1000 Gifts, 841-860

841) My birthday dinner in Rockwall
842) Losing and Finding Titus because it showed us how special he is
843) Family quality time
844) Assertiveness
845) Things that inspire me as an artist
846) First attempts
847) A day of rest
848) A pantry of food
849) Wine and cheese at art class
850) Having to carpool with my teenage daughter,  
851) Great people to work with
852) Seeing Caleb work so hard for baseball

853) Fresh air
854) Paws racing on the wood floor
855) Beginning oil painting
856) The science of color

857) Yellow
858) Blue
859) and Red
860) Finishing my value study


Extra thought... I did this value study with my new oil paints using no black.  I hate thought of buying black paint.  The painting above was really done with just red, yellow, blue and white paint.  It looks kind of boring, I know, but I had so much fun doing it.  It is a gift because doing it, led me to think a lot about color.  Isn't it interesting that this can be made from yellow, blue, red and white, but nothing colorful can be made from black?

Oil Paint!

I can't believe February is already here. This month I will be posting some of my beginning attempts at oil painting.  I am taking classes at A Touch of Paris Art Gallery in Grapevine and absolutely having a blast.  Stay tuned.

Courtney's Tree Collage Video

A Tree For Courtney
Acrylic Collage
3' x 4'
by Cheryl Harris White

My daughter wanted a large collage of a tree and one of her favorite poems by Robert Frost to decorate her bedroom.  She wanted it to be whimsical.  This video shows the steps as we progressed through the project.  I painted the background and the basic sketch of the tree and she chose words from magazines that she liked.  The words she chose were... 

"Learn,A fresh start, Brilliant, Friends, New, Sport, Bloom, Green, Original, Unleash, Fairy tale, Sweet, Fresh, Dream, Love, Fun, Together, Life, Imagine, Your moment, Hearts on Fire, Adored, Rhapsody, Real," and of course, the poem itself.  The tree is a collage of both scraps from magazine and dried acrylic paint.  This was the result. Enjoy!

1000 Gifts, 821 - 840

821) Flowers for my birthday from Dad

822) Birthday wishes

823) A cake at work

824) Birthday hugs

825) A grove of huge trees with twisty branches

826) Daffodil sprouts

827) Duke home safe from travel

828) Family dinner

829) People who care when you are hurting

830) Strength

831) Laughing during oil painting class

832) My art teacher's beautiful French accent

833) Color mixing

834) Caleb home sick two days

835) The golden sun at 7:35AM setting the dew aglow

836) Rain

837) Kind words 

838) Listening to my kids tell me what they remember about their childhood

839) A pink envelope in the mail box 

840) Encouragement putting the wind back in my sails

All Together Now! Four Trees Series

Autumn, Spring, Summer, Winter (left to right) 
Four Trees Series
Four canvases 12" x  24"
Acrylic Collage on Canvas
by Cheryl Harris White
Not For Sale