original oil painting – Melanie Stokes Art

November 8, 2023November 8, 2023

Protection and Provision

After a long, hot Texas Summer of no rain, we (as in the collective, whole county “we”) were thrilled to see the storm clouds of September rolling in. The dark clouds and hailstorms came, but we all were glad to see the parched earth become covered in green again.

The water in the tanks, ponds, lakes and streams began to rise and the cattle did not have quite as far to stretch into the mud to obtain a drink. Now in November, Lake Waco is able, after a few years, to supply water to all the households which depend on it.

The photo references for these paintings were taken on a walk through our property. Both images were striking enough to make me want to paint them. And as I painted, the titles, Protection and Provision, came to my thoughts

How many times have I used those words, as I prayed for my own or another’s needs? “Lord, grant us Protection and Provision in these days.” Two “P” words that sound poetic, but are packed with power and meaning.

I hope the images speak. The titles speak. But my words will also speak of the Protection of an Almighty God. I see this in a variety of circumstances, in amazing miracles that have happened, and in retrospective realizations as I live through these years. I live in gratitude for the Provision of daily needs, as I continue to trust God. Just when we think the water is as low as it can go, the rains come. We are restored and ready to move ahead.

December 30, 2022September 28, 2024

As Ducks Fly…

This landscape, from a photo on our property, was used for demonstration in the recent Earth and Sky workshop. The 11×14 study had been on a table in my studio for a few weeks when I felt compelled to paint it in a larger 24×30 format. It was one of those paintings that simmered for a few weeks, as I made minor adjustments. And before I knew it…the ducks were flying in, or out, depending on the weather, both outside and in my painting.

We have a pond (or tank, as people around here call it) and are often entertained by the migrating birds that come around. The ducks stay for awhile. And then something changes and they leave. It could be the wind, the temperature, a predator, an event that disturbs their peace, or the need to get up and find food. As they fly, they usually go together, making the trip easier. “There is safety in numbers.” Sometimes, I see one staying behind. Maybe he/she is more brave. Maybe he/she is tired of the group. Maybe he/she is lost.

It’s a thing to ponder: How do they decide where to land? Seasons change, circumstances shift. Then, as ducks fly, maybe we do, too.

Ducks can’t fly backwards. (Or so the internet states.) So, here’s to a New Year of flying straight ahead. Remember to land and rest. Enjoy the company of others. And when seasons change, move on. Oh, one more fact: ducks remember where they came from and often return year after year to visit.

March 3, 2022March 3, 2022

Remember to Look Up

melaniestokesart.com — Building A Home
9×12 oil

My morning meditation thought — As you build homes, doing all the tasks of daily life, remember to take time to look up.

While looking at my “to do” list of tasks that needed to be taken care of, the sounds of birds and beautiful light beckoned me outside to paint! Grabbing my gear, I walked around to find something to paint. I decided to focus on the bluebird house that my husband built. The warm light hit across the tree where it was hanging. I thought of the bluebirds that would soon begin building nests inside as spring approaches.

Some artists wear earbuds while they paint outside. They are missing the point! The sounds of birds and other creatures of nature is one of the senses that draws me outside to plein air painting.

As I painted the box, a repetitive bird sound caused me to look above me. It was a bright red cardinal! The rhythm of his call could have been, “Hey, why don’t you look up?” As I lifted my eyes to the sky, spotted him among the beauty of branches, and inhaled fresh air, my spirit soared. I was refreshed as I remembered that it is easy to be absorbed in the shadows of life around us. But, when we lift our eyes and spirit toward The Creator God, we are refreshed. Once again, I’m in awe of the beauty of the earth and comforted by the spirit of the Lord, and ready to move ahead to the tasks of the day.

(I videoed the cardinal singing in the treetops. You can find it on my Instagram account @melaniestokesart.)

February 5, 2021August 21, 2023

My Art From Mart or #artfrommarttx

When we began preparing for a move to Waco, Texas a few years ago, my husband and I knew we wanted to live in the country, on the same side of the county as our son’s family, and wanted more than one acre of land. Our house hunt led us fifteen miles away from Waco, to more land than we needed, six miles from our son, and a Mart address.

Mart, with a population of about 2000, gives many subjects and opportunities for paintings. (You may have noticed I’ve been using the hashtag, #artfrommarttx, on my Instagram account.) I took a photo for this painting while parked at the Dollar General. Like so many rural places in Texas, the grain elevators dominate the skyline of the town.

Read’s Grocery, on the main street, is a convenient six miles for me when I need a quick trip to the grocery. During the days of quarantine, they remained open with stocked shelves and sanitizing protocols, for which I am grateful.

Pizza Pro is on the right side, with delicious baked spaghetti and, of course, take out pizza! They even sell empty pizza boxes to artists who need wet canvas carriers!

The friendly staff of the U.S. Post Office of Mart has been such a help to me in shipping paintings and filling orders for prints. They always have time to help me figure out the best way to do things. And our rural carrier, who brings packages to the door, has become a first name friend. Gotta love the small town life!

I was puzzled by the names of some Texas roads being FM2957 or FM939. I’ve always had trouble remembering numbers. Words like “Lake Felton Parkway” or “County Line Road” come to my mind easier. I learned that FM stands for Farm to Market and was an avenue for that in the beginning of their construction. This painting, Farm to Market, is the view I see as I enter the Mart City Limits from the County Line Road (or FM 939). And those hay bales have been there with the For Sale sign since about summer before last.

So, yes, we moved to Waco. But, we have a Mart address, and we are really closer to Hallsburg and Elk. If you decide to visit, it might be best to call for directions. The porch rockers are ready for you. But I’m probably around back, painting art from Mart!

Instagram: #artfrommarttx @melaniestokesart

December 15, 2020

Winter Comes

Winter blows in and the earth is enshrouded with a cloak of clouds, dropping temperatures to freezing points that hinder or stop all growth below. Colors cool, greens fade to pale, and hay grass gives in to the wind and falls softly in submission to the season.

The mighty winds are the only ones moving, as they howl and billow over the earth. Plants retreat into dormancy, creatures burrow down to hide from the cold.

And all the while, we watch and listen and wait and hope that life will be restored in the promise of spring.

June 19, 2020August 21, 2023

Coming Out of A Storm

Maybe it’s because there were always trees in Georgia to buffer storms and hide the angry clouds. Maybe it’s because I have never lived in a house with a metal roof before this one, and couldn’t hear the pounding of rain. Maybe it’s because there is so much BIG sky in Texas! Whatever the reason, I have seen and heard a variety of powerful storms during this year and a half of getting settled into life in Central Texas.

We had a storm, a few weeks back, that caused aqua, purple and green clouds to twist and churn across the area. I happened to be traveling from one side of Waco to the other. As the clouds chased me in the rearview mirror and circled my car to whip around on my right side, I raced toward blue sky as fast as the 75 speed limit allowed. All was well. I arrived at a safe location. And later, as I rode back home, I was relieved to find that the storm had passed, the sun was shining, and there was only a trail of hail that had been left behind on the sides of the road.

As I worked on this big painting from my own photo, I struggled. I painted and repainted. The clouds seemed to shift shapes on the canvas as much as they do in real life. I would come back the next day and see something else to fix.

We all come through so many storms, some larger than others. Often, they don’t pass as quickly as a summer thunderstorm. Often, they are problems we struggle with for years. Often, they are so heavy that we have to stop and rest. Often, we have to release them to One with more power than we have to pull us through the pain.

Can you remember the biggest storm in your life? Even if you have come through it, it may be helpful to think back and be amazed at the light, the joy, the relief that broke through when you reached the other side. There is hope. While we are still in the storm, we keep traveling toward the light sky… and pray for breakthroughs to happen!

January 4, 2020

Dark Before Light

This 30×40 canvas has been on my mind for a few weeks or months. I wanted something big on a particular wall in our new home and I wanted to capture the sunrises that we enjoy on this Texas Prairie. Using one of my photos, I painted big and was pleased enough to hang it, …only to walk by later and take it down to rework the sky, …several times. After another afternoon of painting and reworking, I walked out to “let it sit.”

Funny how when you are in the middle of a painting, it seems to sit there in your unconscious state for days, just waiting to be worked out. Anybody else? Well, our pastor made a statement that was an “aha” for me. He said, “You have to paint the whole picture, before you can see the light.” Now, he was not giving painting advice. It was much more spiritual than that. But those words wedged their way into what was going on in my own mind about how to solve this puzzle of putting light and dark on my canvas.

I wiped off as much as I could of what I had painted the day before, mixed up a dark blue and covered over the light. And I left to let it dry. (such patience) Only then was I able to pop in the light of the sun, waking us to another day.

So often we have to see the whole picture, the darkness that was there to begin with, before we can appreciate the change that is made with light.

Another fun fact to share — this 30×40 canvas has a painting of a dark swamp underneath. It was one of the darkest paintings I have ever done. When it didn’t sell, I decided to cover it with white gesso and use it again. So it truly has gone from darkness to light!

June 7, 2019

Love that Will Not Let Me Go

O Love

Take a minute to listen to this song. Our FBC Waco Choir has been practicing this one for a few weeks. The song continues to play in my head. And it showed up there today as the soundtrack for my morning plein air session.

What a beautiful morning it was! Full of light, and shadows, and gorgeous colors. I painted TWO 9 x 12 scenes and only came inside because the mid day light began washing out values to faded tones.

“O Love that will not let me go, I rest my weary soul in Thee. I give Thee back the life I owe, that in Thine ocean depths its flow, may richer, fuller be… ”
—O Love, Music by Elaine Hagenberg Text by George Matheson

Her tune and arrangement of music soothes my heart and moves me to tears! Click on the video and listen,… really!

After I painted the first panel, I turned and this shade caught my eye. The strong, full tree was providing shade, and sheltering the beebalm and firewheels that are left in bloom. I continued to feel the protection of God’s spirit, as I painted and worshipped with gratitude.

The words by George Matheson continue:

“O Joy, that seeks me through the pain. I cannot close my heart to Thee; I trace the rainbow through the rain, and feel the promise is not vain that morn shall tearless be…”

This may be one of those times “you just had to be there.” And I was. And God was. And also, the random deer was! The one that pranced by in the midst of it all! I love mornings like this!

April 12, 2019April 12, 2019

The Big Question is …

“But, can you paint a bluebonnet?”

This question has been foremost in my mind as I am getting settled in as a painter in Bluebonnet Country of Texas. Friends in Georgia have been waiting anxiously to see. Never mind that I left a trail of camellias and magnolias behind. The question now is, “But, can you paint a bluebonnet?”

I half-expected it to be the litmus test for joining any Texas art organization. I imagined every art gallery here would be filled with fields of bluebonnets and cowboy paintings. Or maybe the task would be included on the numerous hoops one must jump through to obtain a Texas Driver’s License! So today, I focused on a closeup view of the flower.

With that southern impressionistic, expressive, “blurry looseness” that I’ve been working on for several years, I wanted to stylize this bluebonnet as one of mine. What ‘cha think? There is always room for development, but for now, I’m checking this one off.

Now, if I could just find a way to attach the sweet fragrance that comes with them…aah!

December 31, 2018December 31, 2018

The Jumping Off Place!

…is not as scary as it appears to be.

When I paint, I often have realizations which I feel come from God, as He uses visual imagery to clarify direction for me. And sometimes, those images are solidified by phrases popping into my head that I may, or may not, have heard before.

As I painted this scene, I thought of my Mama saying, “It looks like you are going to the jumping off place!” Now, where in the world was the Jumping Off Place? When I was a little girl, she would use this comment if we were on a treacherous road, unable to see beyond the horizon line, or moving into unknown territory. As a child, I pictured the Jumping Off Place as the very depths of hell!

This composition caught my attention because I like the way the yellow grass of a road is highlighted, yet appears to be leading, who knows where, against the vast Texas sky…perhaps, leading to the Jumping Off Place! The clouds are a bit ominous in the foreground but there is light ahead, even though one can’t see where it leads!

We have recently moved four states over from Georgia to Texas. My husband and I packed and pulled our remaining possessions over the highways to land here in the Waco area. Some thought we were going to the Jumping Off Place! We are excited about a new chapter in life. We are pleased as punch to live in the same area as our oldest son and his family! We are tickled to death to get to sit by our two grandsons in “big church”! I am giddy with joy to have a daughter-in-law nearby who enjoys art shows!

But, when I look out the window at the yellow path, I can hear Mama say, “Looks like you are going to the Jumping Off Place!” And I smile. Because, though it is has had some scary moments, there is something a bit exciting about the unknown of the Jumping Off Place.

After painting this, I found out that this old road leads to a gate, which opens to a state highway. And the state highway leads, in both directions, to interesting places filled with interesting people! For you see, every road leads somewhere! Often we need to stop and wait for direction, maybe paint a picture or two, as God speaks about what to do next. We will approach with caution, but anticipation, to see what lies ahead.