Melanie Stokes Art

Category: The Story Behind the Painting

  • Walking Through Wildflowers

    Are you old enough to remember the opening scene of the Little House on the Prairie television series?  You know, the one where Laura and her sisters are running happily through the waving prairie grass and swaying wildflowers?

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    Walking Through Wildflowers
    10×20 Oil
    $150

    Well, that’s the flashback I had when I was recently walking through wildflowers on a prairie near Waco, Texas.  Two grandsons ran ahead, following the curving path their father had mowed. (I know Laura had to blaze the trail herself.  It looks real picturesque on tv, but those grasses can cut and who knows what danger lies deep beneath them?)  With the help of the pathway, we could enjoy the aesthetic, sensory experience in safety!

    White flowers bloom for acres in August on the prairie.  “Snow on the Prairie” is a fitting name.  This day the storm clouds were beginning to bank themselves in the distance, providing a violet colored backdrop for the greens and white.  The rain would be welcomed to give enough moisture for the next variety of flowers, waiting to spring forth from the cracked earth.

    As we walked through the wildflowers, the boys ran ahead, delighting in finding trails that forked in two directions.  The dog zig-zagged around in the tall grass, looking for whatever dogs look for.   Our son and daughter-in-law  walked and talked with us, as we explored and dreamed about the future.  Eventually the boys came back around, the dog was called from his wanderings off the path, and all of us went back to the house to rest.

    Walking through Wildflowers … if you lose your way, you simply follow the path toward home.

     

  • It’s A Dirty Job…

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    It’s a Dirty Job
    9×12 oil

    _________________________________________________________

    “It’s a dirty job, but someone has got to do it.”

    There is a lot of truth in that statement.  Mike Rowe has proved that!  I’m sure you can think of some dirty jobs you have had to do — like parenting, cleaning up after others, caring for your own house and family, packing to move! (don’t get me started.)  Even if your vocation doesn’t involve dirt, there are times we all have to get our own hands dirty to get the job done.

    We were at Bedford Greenhouses this past Wednesday, a place known for beautiful blooms and shafts of variegated green.  And, there is a lot of dirt involved in a greenhouse setting!  As I looked for something to paint, the yellow light at the end of the dirt alley caught my eye.

    As I studied light and shadows, angles of rooflines and doors, I painted for a few hours.  Several workers walked in and out of the greenhouses, carrying tools of a gardener, wearing gloves or not.  As the day warmed, I noticed several wiping their faces of sweat.  And I thought about the work that goes on behind the scenes to make those beautiful pots of flowers.

    Isn’t that the way it is with anything that turns out beautiful, turns out finished, turns out worthwhile?  A lot of hard work and sweat is behind any good project.

    Think of recent successes in your life.  How hard did you have to work to achieve it?  Who were the people who got down to the nitty gritty of the project?  Who were the ones who weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty, the ones who put the sweat equity into it?   It may be hard to notice people behind the scenes.  But if we take our eyes off the glamour of the moment, the fancy Facebook photos, the instant Instagram pictures, we will notice this reality of Real Life — anything worth accomplishing takes dirty, hard work, and time.

    And, finally, as the flowers burst into bloom after the work is done, our lives bloom with blessings and light after a job well done!

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  • Even In A Storm

    This post is for me, but you may read over my shoulder if you want to…

    The day began with a flurry and a storm of activity!  I was vacuuming my floor at 7:30 a.m., anticipating prospective buyers to come through the house in the afternoon.  (Getting a house ready for realtors and sellers is not on my top favorites list.   But now the house was clean and orderly, to the point of me becoming obsessive about it. ) My husband was checking off items on the Honey-Do list I had given him.   The Weather Channel was stirring up panic in the minds of America about a hurricane that was predicted to run in forty directions and cause evacuations in three or four states.  I received a text inquiring if our house could be used for evacuation while we were gone, if needed.  And we were discussing our 1000 mile road trip with a UHaul, coming up in two days.

    I could feel the tension in my neck. (Or maybe it was the barometric pressure from the storms brewing.)  But I knew for my sanity, and my husband’s sanity, that I needed to keep my Wednesday appointment to paint!

          

    When I arrived at Sacred Heart Cultural Center in Augusta, the “Women on Paper” group I paint with, was already scattered around in places. And they were all looking up!?  So I did, too.

    As I watched the billowy September clouds circling around the spires of the building, I relaxed.  I painted.  I pondered.  “Keep looking up.”  The words seemed to form in my head.  “Keep looking up, even when your world is unsettled with all the factors spinning this way and that.”  “Keep looking up, even in a storm.  God is so much bigger than you, your house, your life.  He is your Peace.”

       I found my mind moving from myself to all the friends who are in the predicted path of this Hurricane.  I wondered who might need to evacuate to our house that would be empty while we were away.  I listened to the angry sounds of busy traffic just on the outside of the hedge behind me.  I noticed the individuals who walked past on the sidewalks, with backpacks, a cup of coffee, and hungry eyes.  And I prayed.  I prayed, not that my house would sell, but that people would be safe, be fed, know Christ’s Peace.

    I finished painting and left the group of women.  They had listened and responded with encouragement when I whisked into place with all my morning drama.  Friendships are gifts.  And now, with a renewed peace and attitude adjustment, I went about the rest of the day.

    May I keep looking up, fixing my eyes on Him, who is steadfast and stable, my Strength in all storms.

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    Keep Looking Up
    8×8 Oil

     

     

  • Daily Provision

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    Give Us This Day…
    11×14 Oil
    $140

    I know hummingbirds don’t eat bread!  But, when I see them each morning outside the window, fluttering around as if they are afraid there will not be enough to eat, this phrase of a prayer pops in my head: “Give Us This Day…”

    My husband feeds these hummingbirds every day.  They have been showing up every summer for about ten years.  And each year they bring their friends to the buffet!  This year the count is up to about forty at a time! (give or take a few blurs as you count)  They found the provision in these feeders yesterday, and they expect to find it again.

    “Give us this day, our daily bread…”   This is the prayer Jesus taught his followers.   Day by day, God provides what we need. (Note to self – I said, what we need, as opposed to what we can store up in our homes and then have to clean out when it is time to move!)  God sent daily “manna” from heaven to His People in the wilderness.  Remember how it rotted when they tried to store it and save it?  God promised to send just enough for each day.   Day after day, we go back to the One whom we know will provide… and we bring our friends!

  • Looking Toward Texas

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    Of Field and Firmament
    24×30 Oil
    $375

    This painting came about after a recent visit with my son’s family in Axtell (outside of Waco), Texas.  I needed to paint it as confirmation that I could enjoy painting the landscapes there.  For you see, we are looking toward moving to Texas.  Yes, you read that right!

    We are at the stage of life where one thinks about the future as one of the last chapters of one’s story (but hopefully a long chapter full of lots of action!).  Both retired from our careers, we have been searching for where God would lead us next.  So, without all the questions answered, we are remembering what Abraham did when God said, “Go.”

    In the next months, we will be cleaning out, packing, selling, searching, settling and looking toward Texas.  Yes, we will miss Georgia.  Yes, we hate to say goodbye.  But adventure beckons and you can still follow me on Facebook!

    I hope to be involved quickly in the Waco arts community.  There is a lot happening downtown with all the new energy created by Chip and Joanna Gaines, including new art galleries!

    Steve, who always wanted to be a cowboy when he grew up,  is looking forward to using all those woodworking tools he has collected for years, in a western setting.  And we are both looking forward to being near Luke and his family, who have been Texans for over a decade.

    If you need a painting from me before I leave Georgia, now would be the time!  I would rather sell it to you than try to pack them all.  Look on my webpage and give me a call.

    Watch for updates as we look toward Texas!

     

     

     

     

  • From the Heart

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    Painting from the Heart
    24×30 Oil
    $380

    Most days I paint from life, 

    Many days I paint from photos, 

    Some days I paint from memory,

    But, today, I painted from the heart!

    Recently, I was in a discussion about “skill vs. talent.”  As an art educator, I’m all for training and acquiring skill!  We need to work at our skills to make them better.  Even talented people need to understand why they innately make art a certain way and how they can use that knowledge.  But talent is more about the way you are bent, the amazing things you do just because you are you.   While developing skill to make art is important, if there is no passion or emotion involved, skill doesn’t always speak.  And Art needs to speak!

    You have heard musicians who are highly skilled.  They never miss a note, but their rhythm is so steady and notes so exact that it sounds like a robot is playing the piano!  But when you listen to a musician who slows down, or speeds up, or gets louder, or gets so quiet that you can hardly breathe… you could be moved to tears and whisper, “Now, that is talent!”

    Maybe “talent” and “skill” are not the words you use to describe this phenomena.  Maybe it is the “art evokes emotion” theory.  However you describe it, I agree that if art does not elicit a response from others, it is in need of improvement.  (Notice I didn’t say to throw it away.  You can always learn how to improve!)

    Painting from the heart happens best when there is no pressure to perform.  This “Painting from the Heart” began on a landscape that had been sitting in the corner of my studio.  It had made the gallery rounds and was a peaceful landscape, but did not really say anything.  No one was moved to tears.   So, to keep from wasting a perfectly good 24×30 canvas, I turned it vertical and spread Gesso over the middle.  Suddenly a vase of hydrangeas began forming in my head.  I got excited.  This was a day, after several days,  when I needed to paint something to process my emotions.

    And as I painted, these words formed:

    Most days I paint from life, 

    Many days I paint from photos, 

    Some days I paint from memory,

    But, today, I painted from the heart!

    This painting has served its expressive purpose for me as I painted.  Now, I would love to hear the reactions it may bring from you!

     

  • Stop and Smell the Gardenias!

    Some days you just need to “stop and smell” the gardenias!!

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    Stop and Smell
    10×20 oil
    $160

    I know, I know,  I’m supposed to be focused on readying for ten kids in Art Camp on Monday.  My studio shows evidence of that.  I know, this painting hasn’t been commissioned and maybe no one will want to buy it.  So, what?

    Some days you just need to  “stop and smell”… “be quiet and listen”…”be still and know.”

    Every time I walk past the gardenia bush, I find myself slowing down, inhaling deep, and studying the soft petals.  I ponder what color is really in that white…how dark are the shadows?…are they tinted warm or cool?  And I thank the Creator God for his marvelous creation of gardenias.  And I feel happy and loved.  So today, I needed to paint that, as I spent a few hours in the quietness of worship in my studio.

    Perhaps your avenue of “stopping and smelling” is not with paint.  It might be in playing with a child,  reading a book, writing your thoughts, petting a cat, watching birds, going for a walk, sewing or baking, maybe even taking a nap… As it says in Ephesians, “in all things, give thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus to God.”  We do.

     

  • A Seat for Sunset

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    A Seat for Sunset
    8×10 Oil
    $120

    “I come down here every evening,” he told me.  “I come with my drink and watch the sunset.”

    I had been painting the swing and the tree en plein air, after a full day of learning at Plein Air South.  As I painted, this gentleman took a seat on the swing.  It didn’t seem to bother him that I was looking his way.  I took a photo of him to use as a reference later.

    The end result that day was disastrous.  I was ready to wipe the oil paints off.  But the artists with me encouraged me to leave it and look at it later.  The gentleman came over to see if he was painted into the scene.  He was not especially impressed…and neither was I.

    The next afternoon I got busy painting sky and water and thought no more about the panel tucked into my wet canvas carrier in the car.

    The third day, I sat in James Richards’ two hour session about Abstraction in Landscapes.  I learned so much just watching him paint.  As he started his painting with BIG shapes of dark and light values in random colors, he suggested that we simplify shapes by painting OVER too much detail and bringing it back to an abstracted form.   I remembered the painting of the landscape with the swing and knew what I needed to do to fix it.

    As soon as the session was over, I drove my car back to the waterfront.  There was the empty swing, hanging from the curving tree.  I spread red paint over the top portion and yellow on the bottom.  I began defining the abstract shapes of lights and darks and masses were formed.  Reminding myself to stay loose and abstract, the scene developed.

    On cue, at 5 p.m., the man came back out with his cup in his hand.  We talked of painting (he thought this one was looking better), of Georgia (he was from Moultrie), of mutual friends, of careers, of life choices, of faith, of retirement and old age.  The time came for me to pack up to get to dinner on time.   I planned to put the swing in later from the photo.

    Back in my studio, I added the swing and since I had a photo reference, added my new friend, Mr. Lowery.  It would not have been the same without him there.  After all, it is “his” swing — his seat for sunset.  May he enjoy many more of them!  And I hope he sees this post!

     

  • It Stopped Raining and WOW!

    I’m in Port St. Joe, Florida this week for Plein Air South:  a gathering of artists who paint outside and a faculty of ten or twelve of the best contemporary plein air artists I know of, from which to learn!  It has been raining all day and many of the outside activities had to move inside.  But this afternoon, the rain stopped.  The sky cleared and the clouds and colors were amazing!

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    After observing all morning, I was ready to paint.  I went out by myself to find a pavilion (just in case another shower passed over) and painted until sundown.  What a great time to be a plein air painter!

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    Catching Anything? 9×12 oil $125
    Study of Water and Sky 9×12 oil

    The smaller pictures are photos.   A highlight of the afternoon was seeing both ends of the rainbow that appeared.  The three fishermen, the couple on the pier, and myself, were brought together to share the moment of adoration and wonder.

    The atmosphere was crystal clear as the setting sun illumined the earth and sky.

     

    As I drove back toward Mexico Beach and the rental house, I pondered why I love painting outside.  It’s not just the finished painting, it’s definitely the process.  Painting from life causes me to be acutely aware of all my senses.  Not just seeing and touching, but feeling the breezes, hearing the birds, smelling the fish.  And yet, feeling so small against a huge backdrop of life.  It is a time of worship of the almighty Creator God and admiration of His art.  Amen.

  • Thinking About Geraniums

    9×12 Oil

    If my Mama could come back as a flower, I think it would be a geranium!   (Now before you think I’ve finally gone off the deep end, hear me out.)

    This morning, after seeing the inevitable Mothers’ Day posts on Facebook, I went out to the studio to work.  I meant to finish up some things and clean up some things and pack some things for an upcoming trip.  But the geraniums were beckoning me – calling out to me – luring me into the yard to paint them!  So I did.

    As I painted, I began to think about how like a geranium my own mother was:  bright and cheerful, even in rain or hot sun; strong enough to stand, yet flexible enough to bend when necessary;  commanding my attention when it needed to be focused; growing best in groups, she brought joy to those around! (Being from a really large family may have added to her gregarious nature.)

    The shape, or non-shape, of a geranium bloom reminds me of Sarah Miller’s creative, spur of the moment, non-conformist spirit.  The organic, curved lines are almost musical as they show up “here, there and yonder” like the songs that would erupt from Mama throughout the day.  Just like a geranium, ready to burst with blooms, Mama was always ready to share a song!

    Yes, I can see my Mama in the bright colors and fun shapes of a geranium.  Oh, and the red is obvious to anyone who knew her – the red hair of the Fallin Family!

    Happy Mothers’ Day!