'Abundance' Roses Flower Oil Painting by Laurie Pace

'Abundance'

24 x 36 inches Oil on Canvas

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© Laurie Justus Pace        Graphics One Design   2009

The Painting: This one was on the easel being worked on for over a week. It began with a charcoal sketch.  From there I work in acrylics first establishing a rather sherbet looking painting.  It had all the colors in the wonderful rainbow sherbet.  I dabbled on it on and off; Then Terry gave his view and I added more values. Then two days ago I begin in earnest to pile on the color with my knife. That is my joy and abundance...and here you have simply Abundance. 

The Thought: I often write about the squirrels that live in our brains and run the exercise wheel usually at night when we are trying to sleep.   Seems we allow concerns of the day and doubt from our activities to creep into our peace of mind making it difficult to let it all go as we enter into the quiet time our soul needs to rest and be totally immersed in the peace of God.

Many nights when flopping restlessly on the bed my brain begins searching for those repetitive phrases and prayers we use daily.  One that I use during the day is simply the Nicene Creed.  It is rather heavy for use at night to fall asleep.   "Be still and know that I am God" is a good night time mantra.  

In Lamaze training they took us through the muscle relaxing chore of starting at your toes and tightening them, (While breathing in) and then slowly letting them relax while breathing out.  You work your way up your body with different muscle groups, breathing in to tighten and out to relax.  At night you could use this and insert the mantra between each group. Slowly your squirrels will stop and rest their actions and a peace will begin to fill your mind and body.

It is hard during the day to just STOP.  STOP and be at peace. We all need this peace in the center of our hearts both day and night.  From there it will spread out to our thoughts and our actions. It completes the cycle of Mind and heart, body and emotions, and then actions. This is a very powerful peace.

 

May His inner peace fill your heart, your spirit, your mind and your actions today.

Laurie

"Trust in the Lord forever, for in the Lord God you have an everlasting rock." Isaiah 26:4

'White Arabian Nights' Large Horse Painting by Laurie Justus Pace

'White Arabian Nights'
30 x 30 inches Acrylic on Canvas

SOLD FROM BLOG! Thank you!

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© Laurie Justus Pace Graphics One Design 2009

The Painting: Experimentation this week with this soft hued acrylic of a white Arabian. I may develop it more, I may not, but I am sharing it as it is at this moment. Thin layers of Liquetex Heavy Body Acrylics build on this composition.

The Thought: The word Promise comes to mind this morning. Have you ever broken a promise? If you have not, I would like to meet you. The word trips off of our lips as kids, "I promise not to do it again." Or the words of a distraught young pregnant teen, "But he promised he loved me."

Obviously a promise is of no more value than is the ability of the one who makes it, to actually carry it through. People change their minds and they do break promises. Often people just flat out lie and make promises. Through the Bible we are aware that God has made promises to us. He promises to supply every need we have. (not our wants...our needs). He has promised His grace would be sufficient for us. He promises victory over death as we saw in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus. He has promised all things will work together for the good of those who love and serve Him faithfully. His promises fill the pages of the Bible. He promises the forgiveness of our sins for those who believe in Christ and that they will be saved. He promises eternal life.

I came across a pretty neat place on the web: Olive Branch This author has a nice layout of promises from God to get you through anything. Take a peak, I did this morning and found some encouraging words for my own life. Sometimes it takes a quick reminder to get us back on track in our lives.

Laurie
" For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise." Hebrews 10:36

Read more: http://lauriepace.blogspot.com/2009/07/white-arabian-nights-large-horse.html#ixzz0Oxj2dY76

'Thirteen Trees' Landscape by Laurie Pace

'Thirteen Trees'
18 x 27 inches
Oil/Acrylic on Canvas


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The Painting: From a workshop tape and experimental at best and harder than you think to work backwards for me. In all my 27 years of teaching of working back to front this one was opposite. The blues and purples actually covered the canvas first. The first layer of those colors is acrylic. Then I put in the sky in light blues leaving the contrast shapes. Next step was to put in color on the trunks. I switched to oils on the sky and trunks and then again on the ground as I laid in the colors of purples and blues.

The Thought: Working backwards. Well the models are put away. I said a prayer reminding God of how He fed the 5000 and asked if we could somehow manage to get the 5000 models into the closet.The collection has grown over the past two years.


I only say working backwards as this is the same closet I unpacked them in 22 months ago when we moved here. Terry packed them up and moved them to another bedroom closet. Then he moved them upstairs to the loft in our bedroom. NOT GOOD. Then he moved them into the garden room. THEN they went back to the bedroom closet. Two days ago I found them in my studio everywhere. So now they are back in the original location, The Hall Closet.



Can anyone explain WHY? One of those where you go around the barn several times before you find the door I guess. Or is it what goes around comes around?


Terry has been over busy with tiling the bathroom. He is on the back wall of the shower right now. More pictures as he finishes. PRAY for him as he is exhausted. He wants to have the bathroom finished by Tuesday.




We are usually facing deadlines and daunting tasks in our lives. Many things we do not want to face or deal with. Others are just things that we have to muddle through to finish. Know HE is with you through each and every trial and there is light at the end of your journey. Each task or event has its unique challenges and requires you to stay the course. Always this seems to task our very existence but in truth strengthens us for the next trial.

One step at a time... you will complete what lies ahead.

Laurie

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds," James 1:2