Charcoal Drawing Commission

This is a commission I just delivered to my client today. She was very happy with it...and that pleases me.

I received this email forward entitled Two Wolves... so the picture and cut line below are not mine and I'd give credit if I could.

I was immediately struck at how this illustrates a passage in scripture wonderfully.

TWO WOLVES

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson
about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said, "My son, the battle is between
two wolves inside us all.

"One is Evil - It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow,
regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment,
inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

"The other is Good - It is joy, peace, love,
hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence,
empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then
asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee replied, "The one you feed."

Now CLICK HERE....and read this passage of scripture from the Amplified Versions

Zero in on this and ponder it.

Christ's Spirit taking up residence IN YOU. This is what is meant by being born again. So the two wolves are the flesh and the spirit. Which is in control of your body? Which one do you feed?

(There is much to say about this and if any of you do not understand this very basic concept of the Gospel, I would be happy to share more privately. The truth will set you free and when you are free, you are free indeed. If you are a prisoner of your flesh and this control has literally killed you, if you feel dead inside and do not want to live, you can be set free and come alive. When a man or woman finds spiritual understanding, and what is the purpose of living, though he were dead he shall surly live. Jesus said, "You must lose your life, to find it." I encourage you to feed your spirit; "if you seek me you shall surly fine Me" . . . and Jesus cannot lie.)

Break through....at last

This wash drawing I did in class a few days ago, really got a lot of praise from fellow artists; nearly everyone thought I should frame it... I frankly don't see it (I was floored). Even my instructor said it was very good. Could it be that it was just a good likeness of the model? Any comments on the wash drawing are welcome...please tell me what it is that you like or don't like . . . I'm curious why I can't see what they see or maybe I'm right and they are wrong.

Some ink drawings recently ... I think are really some of my best work so far in figure drawing aesthetically speaking. I will post them soon in a new post.

Thanks Jon for your comment (below).
This drawing will be signed and framed.

"You've had a major break through, Patti and you have gone to another level in your drawing," instructor Glen says. At life drawing class, he pulled me aside, "I've watched you for the last two classes and I can confirm it is a real advancement, he goes on, "This is how it goes in art; you have advanced. It's unpredictable." I had noticed that Glen had stepped back and was just letting me go lately. I thought he was not wanting to pressure me because of my grief and stress when actually, he was watching to see if this was a true advancement.

Puzzling isn't it? One would think progress would halt in such circumstances since I have not been able to focus down on drawing since my mother passed away? The last few weeks has me drawing here and there and fearing my recent progress was slipping back. Instead, something great was happening.

Apparently this is how artists grow . . . in plateaus and often suddenly. One can never plan for it and it goes against logic for you work and work and struggle and don't feel you are getting any where and then all of a sudden "things click" and you see differently as you draw. Yet, I know how the subconscious mind continues to work on problems even when our conscious mind is unaware. This phenomena happened in brainstorming for ideas in my former career in graphic arts. The greatest ideas would often come a day or two after brainstorming for hours and hours. The mind works on problem solving even when we are not fully conscious of doing so.

(I will edit this post and upload some more recent sketches. Truly feeling blessed for I needed a boost right now badly . . . no time today to do it.)

Pondering this great mysterious passage...

¹AND YOU [He made alive], when you were dead (slain) by [your] trespasses and sins in which at one time you walked [habitually]. You were following the course and fashion of this world [were under the sway of the tendency of this present age], following the prince of the power of the air. [You were obedient to and under the control of] the [demon] spirit that still constantly works in the sons of disobedience [the careless, the rebellious, and the unbelieving, who go against the purposes of God] among these we as well as you once lived and conducted ourselves in the passions of our flesh [our behavior governed by our corrupt and sensual nature], obeying the impulses of the flesh and the thoughts of the mind [our cravings dictated by our senses and our dark imaginings]. We were then by nature children of [God's] wrath and heirs of [His] indignation, like the rest of mankind but God--so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us, even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him, for] it is by grace (His favor and mercy which you did not deserve) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation) and He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together [giving us joint seating with Him] in the heavenly sphere [by virtue of our being] in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One). He did this that He might clearly demonstrate through the ages to come the immeasurable (limitless, surpassing) riches of His free grace (His unmerited favor) in [His] kindness and goodness of heart toward us in Christ Jesus. For it is by free grace (God's unmerited favor toward you) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God; not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law's demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.] For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live]. Therefore, remember that at one time you were Gentiles (heathens) in the flesh, called Uncircumcision by those who called themselves Circumcision, [itself a mere mark] in the flesh made by human hands. [Remember] that you were at that time separated (living apart) from Christ [excluded from all part in Him], utterly estranged and outlawed from the rights of Israel as a nation, and strangers with no share in the sacred compacts of the [Messianic] promise [with no knowledge of or right in God's agreements, His covenants]. And you had no hope (no promise); you were in the world without God. But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were [so] far away, through (by, in) the blood of Christ have been brought near.
--Ephesians 2:1 (Amplified Version)

Pondering this great transform-ative Gospel which is the work of God at work in us . . . i.e. Christ being IN US. This is a mystery. It is truly a miraculous work of the Spirit of God . . . a work that is God's purpose in creating us in the first place. The first two chapter of Ephesians if taken to heart and understood will transform a person's thinking.