Painting with Hannah and Benjamin

We had Christmas - meaning opening presents and staying the night and eating Christmas yummy food - with Christy and Daniel and Hannah and Benjamin the Friday night before Christmas.
Saturday we painted.

I've Been Painting

I haven't been painting anything to put in my Etsy shop (www.bearhollowcreations.etsy.com). I've been painting sets for our church's Christmas program. We'll have three performances with about 1500-2000 people attending. (that's a total, not each night)

You can see the completed set here.

http://hilldaleworship.blogspot.com/2008/12/set-is-finished-yeah.html

One of my little miniature paintings is in a challenge. Several artists and crafters entered one holiday item at http://www.newmonthlychallenge.blogspot.com/ I don't remember what the prize is for the winner, but the glory of winning is always good for me! :)

I entered "Star Over Bethlehem."

It's part of my Christmas ACEO series.

You can go to http://www.newmonthlychallenge.blogspot.com/ and check out the other entries and then you can vote for mine. Haha, no, you can vote for whichever one you want. But as of this writing, a chunky Lego bracelet is winning. Hmmmmm.

Really Big Art

I'm creating some very large paintings. Our Christmas production this year goes back through time, so to create the scene changes I'm making a giant "book" where we can turn the "pages" and change scenes. It will be incorporated into a larger set. I'll put pictures of everything up.

Each scene is painted on two 4' x 8' pieces of luan. Luan is very, very thin plywood used mainly for door facing. http://www.insidewoodworking.com/lumber/luanplywood.html

I'm using wall paint for two reasons. 1. Between me and the church I have a lot of colors to choose from. 2. It's free.

Would wall paint be considered acrylic?

Here's the start of my first painting.

Of course I took a picture of myself. You can see where the church will be.

The church filled in some and no snow yet.

Here is the finished scene. It is supposed to be Austria back when Silent Night was written. I found a picture of a church in Austria. Hmmm, it's on my church computer, but I'll put it here too so you can compare.

I think I'll repaint the church doors. Since they are the color of the ground it looks like a hole in the picture. I'll make them a darker brown.

Here's the original picture.

Cardinal in the Pine Tree

A new ACEO miniature painting. It's part of my Christmas series.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17365233

See the others in the series here.

christmas-aceos

Christmas ACEOs

In honor of the VAST Christmas sale I painted some ACEOs. They are acrylic on canva-paper mounted on a playing card.

You can check out the VAST sell on the VAST blog http://vastgallery.blogspot.com/

One has a rather traditional look.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17052173

One has kind of a pop art look - I guess that's how you would describe it.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_2&listing_id=17052411

And one is abstract.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_2&listing_id=17052584

They are already marked down 20% like all of the Christmas items in my shop.
http://www.bearhollowcreations.etsy.com/

I've Been Tagged

I was tagged by one of my VAST colleagues from Hawaii Schar Freeman

It's a fun way for our VAST team to get to know each other and to promote our blogs.

Now I am to follow these points:
1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by including links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs.

OK, so here are 7 things about me.

1. I married my Jr. High/Sr. High sweetheart 3 days before my 19th birthday. We've been married now for 32 years! I have two married children and 6 grandchildren!

2. I sing, play the violin and piano and write music for handbells, instruments, choirs, etc. In 1995 I was Jeffer's Handbell Supply's "Composer of the Year" for my arrangement of Brethren. It has been recorded on many CDs. It is the background music on this web site http://www.riverbells.org/handbellhistory.htm

3. I grew up in a Worship Pastor's home and am a Worship Pastor (in the old days we said, "Minister of Music") so I have lived in Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Colorado and now have lived in Tennessee for 20 years.

4. My organist at my last church called me "The Christmas King" because I did such wonderful Christmas services week after week through December.

5. I've always loved art but just started painting 2 years ago after taking a class at Joann's.

6. I learned to do stained glass over twenty years ago when I lived in Colorado. I was at a big stressful church and needed something creative to do that wasn't music or church. :)

7. I used to be a card carrying member of Clowns of America International. Still like to do clowning. see "Jingles" pics here

And here are 7 people I've tagged - or will tag today (I follow their blogs too.)

Jean Levert HoodTexas Hill Country Painter

Matt Talbert Paintings

Kae1Crafts & Kae1Supplies

MYSTIC SILKS

Diane Clancy's Art Blog

Kauai Artist presents Painting Paradise

Kathy Martin Studio