Original oil paintings by Southern Artist, Melanie M Stokes
FOR THOSE WHO LIKE TO PLAN AHEAD…
I know February seems like a long way away. But, tuck this away in your mind for “after Christmas.” This will be something to look forward to in the winter. AND, it is a great idea for a Christmas gift for Mom, Grandma, Granddad, …or Self!
The $140 tuition fee covers all four classes and supplies.
Signup Deadline – January 15
November 9 is circled on my calendar! I’m finishing up some new paintings by day and thinking over show details by night! I am still not over the excitement that Sacred Heart Cultural Center is hosting an Exhibition of my paintings, beginning November 9 with an Opening Reception from 5 pm to 7 pm. Pictured here is the invitation to be sent to 1100 people in the Augusta Area! The Exhibit will be open during their business hours through December 22. If you can’t make it to the reception, I hope you can drop in to see while in Augusta, GA.
The theme, “Back Roads…Back Yards…Back Home” is one I’ve used previously. Many of the new paintings are still leaning toward the rural, nature setting, and ‘homes of the past’ images that I’ve been developing. There will be some Back Home-Christmas Nostalgia images added for the season, also.
If you’ve not been to Sacred Heart at 1301 Greene Street, enter through the back gate, by the sign that says Gift Shop (Ellis and 13th Street Gate). The paintings will be hanging in the back halls, which weave around under the cathedral, making me think of the Catacombs of the early Christians. It’s a wonderful setting for an art show!
Hope to see you November 9! 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. And as always, everything is for sale!
Today was a day I got out early to paint en plein air! (For all my South GA friends, that means “outside”). I had already scoped out some settings, thinking of the angle of the morning sun. I had already marked some places off my list, thinking of the solitude of painting and personal safety issues. So this morning, I got in my little car and drove around the neighborhood, looking for vistas on the golf course. After exploring a few, it always came back around to the issue of flying golf balls. Did I really want to put myself through that risk? Not to be defeated, I drove back home, hiked around my backyard and just could not find anything that caught my eye. As I rounded the corner of my home, the sunlight on the front porch seemed to say, “Here I am. Welcome home! Why not just set up right here in the safety and shelter of your own front door?” It felt good to be home.
Now, I’ve said before that God speaks to me when I paint. He seems to use the metaphors of my subject matter. That front porch looked so sheltered and comfortable, nestled against the strong trees and surrounded by firm ground. And, the best part was I could stand under some shade trees while I painted. (Even so, my glasses were fogging up in the GA humidity! I’m trying to paint outside for this 30 day challenge and the weather is the biggest obstacle.)
But, as I painted, I thought about Shelter and how important it is for all to have. I thought about what Shelter looks like to many different people. I thought about my own sheltered life: parents who did their best to shelter me from grownup problems, a lifestyle of ease and provision, a husband who would go to combat for me, and a God who always, somehow, makes all things work together for good. I’ve been sheltered. Not in the sense that I’m not aware of all that is unjust, and sad, and evil about this world. Not that I haven’t had disappointments and difficult times. But, I’ve been sheltered and fed and loved. And for that I am grateful and content. May generosity grow from gratefulness!
This is Day 27! Only three more days of this 30 Day Challenge!
Day 21 of 30 – This was a FULL day and I never picked up a paintbrush. But I did present a program about my paintings. And I did observe the “September Skies” as I came and went, thinking about how I would paint them. This, one of my favorites, was painted several years ago. I always notice clouds in September. There is something about the way that the shadows get longer and crisper in September, something about the billowy look of the clouds as they float by, changing shapes as quickly as one realizes that summer is gone! The change in the clouds and atmosphere each September reminds me of a day, thirty seven years ago today, when we stood in a hot cemetery for my mother’s funeral. It was a sad season, with beautiful clouds overhead, clouds that surrounded me with comfort. They still do, today.