Shooting Range

I proudly support the 2nd amendment! :) 

My little bro shooting his .223 up the canyon.

Amo.

There were lots of cacti.

 Old boots.

I shot my lil' 22 rifle. 

We had ELVIS SHAKES!
(A delicious blend of chocolate, bananas & peanut butter) 

Josh Garrels - Music

Josh Garrels is one of my increasingly favorite artist! This song is one of my favorites!! Give it a listen. :) It has such a beautiful sound - something that paints a bigger picture. Almost hymn like lyrics. Mmm. So rich.

40 Days For Life

Starting September 25th-November 3th
Mankind is unique in all of creation because we were made in God's image (Genesis 1:26-27 and 5:1-2). This is true of the entire human race & every member of it without exception, including unborn children. The sanctity that God's image bestows (even after the Fall) on each & every human being, is affirmed by the prohibition on taking human life in Genesis 9:6. This prohibition became reinforced as the sixth commandment states: You shall not murder. (Exodus 20:13). This is the fundamental pro-life position: that every human life, in every stage of life is sacred! Please pray with me, not only during this event, but everyday & always, to save the lives of children the world doesn't want. Please pray with me, that our country's leaders' & abortionist's eyes would be opened & they would truly see what they are doing. Please pray that God would grant us repentance & judge us not to destruction. Please pray & vote prolife!  www.40daysforlife.com 

~GB

Composition

So. I took an advanced oil painting workshop this month. It was awesome. The instructor is a phenomenal painter & teacher. I didn't really learn that much, but just hearing what I already knew repeated was great for me, & being surrounded by other enthusiastic artists was very inspiring. As we were painting, in the studio & en plein air, we talked a lot about composition, & how a good composition is the no.1 factor in having a good painting. Many people can paint, but you have to be able to draw, to truly paint. Below are several examples of composition. I've mentioned Edgar Payne before; he's so good— here are some diagrams taken from his book: 

sketchy example ^^ 

think about it.

 The foundation for painting:

1. Composition
2. Value light vs. dark
3. Underling drawing 
4. Color scheme 
5. Texture                  

      ⬇

Have a theme, make a statement. Create a story & setting—   

    start⤵ 

Development ⇢

buildup ☟ 

           characters

<main event>  

                     ↳ find an exit for viewer↴   loop hole 

                                    that revolves back to start⤴ 

"Christina's World" by Andrew Wyeth. This is an excellent triangle 
formation can be seen here. With your finger, cover up one of 
the houses. See how instantly the composition becomes uninteresting? 

"Beartooths Near Red Lodge" a quick painting by (me) This composition I'd consider a Circle. Your eye follows the yellow grass path, up the leaves of the tree on the right, down the top of the mountains, around the edge of the dark clump of trees (left side) back to the foreground.

Balanced scales. "The Last Supper" Leonardo Devinci starts to 

combine the Eastern style of a central object that has symmetrical balanced formality, with the gothic Western style of vertical lines throughout the 

composition, adding dimension, or a false feeling of depth. 

Radiating lines; offset & simplistic. Remember the rule of thirds.
Something off set is more pleasing to the eye, then something dead center. 

Radiating lines. Van Gogh sure must have wanted us to really look
 at those woman! See how everything is pointing towards them?

Check out my pinboard of ART to see art I like! 

Watercolor by John Singer Sargent. This composition could be considered a tunnel. The pathway of water draws the viewer further up & further in.  

S or Compound Curve. Oil by Bob Rohm. See how your eye lazily
moves back & forth across the canvas. 


Balanced Scales. Everything symmetrical & radiating outwards from the center.This reminds me of child's drawing of a sunshine. A sunshine drawing is so simple, yet anyone who saw it could tell you exactly what it is. The same thing goes for stick figures. People don't look like that. But whenever a child draws a bowling ball circle for a head, & adds a few straight lines coming out from out; immediately the viewer knows it's a person. A child sees the reality beyond surface or fact. When you really begin to look at simple objects, you see how everything is simultaneously relative & abstract at the same time. This paragraph probably lost you, didn't it? (hehe.)   

Spurgeon Wisdom—

Better have two lights than only one. The light of creation is a bright light. God may be seen in the stars; his name is written in gilt letters on the brow of night; you may discover his glory in the ocean waves, yea, in the trees of the field; but it is better to read it in two books than in one. You will find it here more clearly revealed; for he has written this book himself, and he has given you the key to understand it, if you have the Holy Spirit. Ah, beloved, let us thank God for this Bible; let us love it; let us count it more precious than much fine gold.

-Charles Spurgeon

A doggerel verse on gardening:

Her wild garden grew, viridescent in hue,

Cowboy hat worn proudly, a song she sang loudly,

Underneath clear sapphire skies, as the bees hummed contentedly—

Weeds were abundant; the morning glories' stranglehold,

Sought to pull her plants down.

Long lasting days, a golden summer haze,

Garden-gloves worn and thin, dirt under her skin,

Sun beams coruscating down, the earth's crusts packed hard—

Thirsty plants weakened, vines holding ever-fast,

She weeded and pulled to no avail.

Evening light dim, cool mist drifts in,

Denim jacket worn and faded, unruly hair quickly braided, 

Crickets' shrill chirring heard, as the distant river roars—

Sunset's blush quickly fading, tired back straightened,

Empty wheelbarrow she filled again.

A day now ended, moonrise splendid,

Dusty boots worn and battered, her hopes now shattered,

The stars lambent overhead, her garden was a miscellany—

When all was said and done:
Bit of everything, and a great deal of none,

The mosquitoes drove her inside.

the end?

-GB