BLUE VASE POPPIES, MIXED MEDIA ACRYLIC, 16 x 20
Life Lesson 1:
If you do not like the direction life is going, try changing your environment.
Painting:
I was going to paint poppies in a field with acrylics.
Then I decided to pluck them and put them in a vase.
The vase was better, but I still did not like the direction is was heading. I decided that I couldn't stand the super-warm undertone of the background, so once the poppies were blocked out I cooled it wa-a-a-a-y down. Maybe too cool . . . At this point I REALLY did not like the way things were heading — I hated the poppy shapes and I almost painted over the whole thing.
Life Lesson:
I need to remember that I can choose my environment. If something is not working well for me I can shift my position, or change my attitude from hot to cool.
Life Lesson 2:
If you are in a good environment, but you find yourself in new or uncharted territory, focus on the Center and hang out with a few trusted friends.
Painting:
Even thought I thought it looked horrible, I decided to take one more step. I started with the centers of the poppies. Focusing on the centers helped to define them. It gave me hope.
Life Lesson:
In life, when I remember that Jesus is the center of everything and focus on Him, I start to realize that with Him all things are possible! He gives me hope.
Painting:
Adding the greens and filler helped. But it was still missing something. I decided to add some of my favorite daisies and a few berries. My "familiar friends" started to add some life to the party!
Life Lesson:
When things aren't going well, I want to remember that trusted friends listen well, encourage, and strengthen me. It's a joy to do life together. My spirits are lifted when I'm able to process and reframe my circumstances with people I trust.
Lesson 3:
When you are tempted to give up - don’t!
Put on some praise music and take one more step.
