Creativity Scrapbook

NZ Beach, Bush & Beauty

2011-09-02T13:28:00.002+12:00

I had a cool silver frame, so decided to create a collage in it.

I decided to make it a New Zealand beach and bush theme as they are two of the things I love most about our land.

So with items from the beach and bush I designed this. I painted the frame with enamel paint so it has a brushed silver effect. (not seen here)

For sale for $300

Ballerina

2011-09-02T13:15:00.000+12:00

Oils on stretched canvas, Nov 2010

This is one of my favourite paintings.
For quite a while I had wanted to paint a little girl, even one too young to know how to do ballet, getting ready to dance, dreaming of being a ballerina
...as is the dream of many girls hearts - having beautiful dresses to wear and feeling very pretty and loved. I had lovely little girls help me by letting me take photographs for reference :)

Life Growth Beauty

2011-09-02T12:45:00.000+12:00

This painting I did for a competition - but one thing about art is that often the beautiful is not valued, but rather the dark or weird paintings...it has to do with philosophy - the worldview that everything evolved from nothing, and hence art that 'evolves' or has no meaning is applauded, and art carefully created and beautiful is shunned. Not always, but I have met a surprising amount of people who verify this is the case in modern art schools and thought. I didn't even get accepted for the competition, but learnt a lot. ...Artists if you are thinking of entering a competition with an 'open' theme and you are a representational painter, don't be too surprised if it doesn't go too well :)

But I choose to paint the beauty of creation, show God's truth, and create art that encourages and brings life to people and not be swayed by the status quo :)

Tiger in grass

2011-09-02T12:03:00.000+12:00

I love painting Tigers. I took a photo of a tiger at the zoo and made up the background. It is approximately A4 size, painted in October 2010 with oils on stretched canvas.

Waterfall

2011-09-02T11:27:00.003+12:00

This oil painting is my first "commisioned" artwork.

My Aunt and Uncle live in the Tararua ranges where they desire to see people refreshed and have time to meet with God and pray.

My Aunt's idea was for a painting that would reflect God's heart to the thisrsty, beckoning them to come and recieve refreshing.

This waterfall is on their property, and you may be able to find hidden hands offering Life.

Isaiah 55:1 + John 4:14

Zebras

2010-12-09T18:46:00.002+13:00

This is one of my favourite paintings from the month I spent painting at Orama.

I love animals, especially baby animals! These 2 are from Auckland Zoo.

I painted all the black first, with Indian ink, so that any other paint I put on over the top wouldn't cause the black to run, as Indian ink, unlike watercolours, is completely waterfast. Both have their benefits and difficulties. The disadvantage of Indian ink is if you make a mistake it is much less forgiving! It is approximately A4.

Tiger

2010-12-09T18:30:00.002+13:00

I really enjoy painting tigers...probably because they are one of the most majestic, beautiful and awe-inspiring animals.

This painting was very quickly done, on mat board that is usually used to frame watercolour paintings, instead of on classic watercolour paper.

As I had no idea how the support was going to respond, I painted very quickly with minimal planning. However, I rather like the loose and sketchy look that you simply can't get if you are overly concerned about the finished product! It is about A4 size and definitely one that will end up in a frame :)

Chooks

2010-12-09T18:13:00.004+13:00

These 2 paintings of hens and roosters I did rather quickly in watercolour. First time I've painted hens (or a barn for that matter).

The barn was a class activity in which I learnt various painting techniques, expecially wet-on-wet.

The top one is A5, the barn A3.

Lilies

2010-12-09T17:56:00.002+13:00

These lilies were a class activity. The teacher (Bob Mitchener) did a painting like this, which I thought was a whole lot more interesting than just painting green and white lilies!

I learnt about using complementary colours (which I have never really been into) and picking a colour scheme and sticking with it.

This painting is also done in watercolour on A3 paper.

Orama Sunset

2010-12-09T17:48:00.001+13:00

Here's an oil painting of a sunset from Great Barrier Island. Such a beautiful place, watching the sunsets many nights from Karaka Bay was a priviledge. I left this painting behind at Orama as a thankyou for their kindness and generosity towards me. Amazing place.

Lion

2010-12-09T17:30:00.001+13:00

This lion I painted at an art school at Great Barrier Island in November. Love painting lions and other big cats. This one is done with watercolours on A4 paper.
There's a lot of other earlier paintings I haven't got around to putting up here, but thought it would be easier to start with my latest ones!

African boy

2010-08-21T16:09:00.000+12:00

I painted this from a photo I took in Kenya. It is done with chalk pastels, which is a medium that is a whole lot of fun. The original is still for sale for $300. The size of the painting is 12x19'' (framed it is 470mm x 655mm)

Red Rose

2010-08-21T15:48:00.002+12:00

This is probably one of my favourite oil paintings. It was painted with oils on stretched canvas under Graham's tuition. I wanted to paint it for a friend and planned for months, and looked for roses to use as reference, finally finding one last year! I can get stretched canvas prints of this painting when people are keen...original size is 18x18 inches.

Tiger

2010-08-03T14:47:00.002+12:00

I painted this tiger at the end of last year. It is one of my favourite paintings, and the painting that made me decide that I really enjoy watercolour as a medium. It was originally painted on A3 watercolour paper.

The original has sold, but I am selling A3 prints of it for $25 NZ (not including postage) in order to fundraise for more oil painting tuition.

Let me know if you want one! :-)

Autumn Tree

2010-07-28T18:46:00.004+12:00

After I painted the bear, Bottle and Pumpkin with Graham, I had extra paint left over, some wonderful colours that were perfect for painting an Autumn tree, which I had wanted to do for quite a while. So using some of the techniques Graham had taught us, I painted this. I still have it and it is for sale. Painted in oils on stretched canvas, 14x18 inches

Bear Bottle and Pumpkin

2010-07-28T18:38:00.002+12:00

This painting is the first oil painting I did under the tuition of Graham Braddock. And my only still life done in oils to date. It was painted winter 2009, on a canvas panel, 16x20 inches

Stag in the Tararuas

2009-06-03T18:12:00.009+12:00

When I was walking in the bush I really wanted to capture a photo of a deer and asked God if I could, and though I got lost I managed to see a deer and it stayed put until I had taken my photo. The photo however was rather low resolution so I wanted to use it as a basis for a painting.
I did it in a few hours with probably too much paint, so it got a little messy and
hard to add detail in the green areas near the end, but I am relatively pleased with it.

Done with oils on stretched canvas, 10x12'' 30 April 2009

Peacock feather

2009-06-03T18:01:00.004+12:00

A fun endeavour. This is a 4x4'' stretched canvas on which I painted metallic paint to suit the feather and then stuck a real peacock feather onto it :)

Throne of Grace

2009-06-03T17:32:00.003+12:00

The inspiration behind this painting came from a time I was worshipping God, amazed that while His throne is full of glory and those surrounding it are glorious - angels, living creatures and elders, that we can approach Him with boldness and confidence. I was struck by my humannesss and with the amazing grace, kindness and benevolence of a holy God to allow me to approach!

The man in this picture could be any one of us, made a son of God by adoption, cleansed by the blood of Jesus and made righteous, hence the white t-shirt.
And the jeans, highlighting the fact that He has allowed us, humans, to come before Him!!

Acrylics on 14x18'' canvas panel, April 2009. Hebrews 4:16

Self Portrait

2009-04-08T15:07:00.012+12:00

I have never really painted faces or people before, but after painting Psalm 45 I decided it was something I definitely wanted to become better at, especially with colour and tone, so looked up some helpful hints online and decided to practice on myself.
.
So this is my first self portrait, done from a photo, with oils on stretched canvas on the 19th and 20th of March 2009.

Psalm 45

2009-04-08T15:03:00.002+12:00

This painting I did for a friend for her 21st birthday. However it took me over a year to complete, so she got it after her 22nd birthday! It was done with oils on stretched canvas.

Canadian geese

2009-04-08T14:49:00.007+12:00

I did these two paintings starting with the one on the left. They are of Canadian geese on a lake at dawn in Kansas City, inspired from a photo that my friend took.

Both paintings are done on 8x10'' stretched canvas. The one on the left I did first on one evening, by artificial light, by mistake mixing oils and acrylic paint, though with no visible adverse affects! I wasn't so keen on the very bright and orangey hues, so painted another using more blues and subtle colours, this time by natural light and solely using oil paints.

Now done, I am not sure which painting I like best as there are things I like and don't like about both..hey maybe I'll have another go! :)

Fern Sunset

2009-04-08T14:37:00.005+12:00

A painting I did because I was teaching art to a child, working alongside her. This painting is done on an A4 canvas panel, using acrylic paint, dried ferns and leaves, and Indian ink to dye them.

Lion

2009-04-08T14:29:00.002+12:00

A pastel painting I did in December 2008 for a friend's birthday card.

Pastel butterfly

2009-04-08T14:17:00.005+12:00

This is actually a pastel drawing of a daytime moth that I would frequently see at Otaki Forks, up in the foothills of the Tararua Ranges.
It is a tiny moth, much smaller than what you see here, hence it sitting on blades of grass..
I drew it in January 2008

Stag

2009-04-08T14:06:00.004+12:00

Here's a pencil drawing I did of a stag on 4 June 07, inspired from a dream I had in 2004

Mosaics

2007-11-12T18:52:00.005+13:00

This is my first attempt at mosaics. I found an old broken tile, so broke it up a whole lot more, rearranged all the bits and stuck them on and grouted it.
Ended up doing it twice, as the wood bowed pretty badly because I forgot a step in the process - helpful hint, if you do mosaics on wood and are using cement adhesive, PVA the surface first!! :)

Pakiri

2007-11-12T18:51:00.007+13:00

Here's a painting I did for a friend in September 2007, with acrylics and sand on stretched canvas. It's of Pakiri, where we went for a wonderfully warm holiday in August!

Clock

2007-11-12T18:45:00.000+13:00

I was stoked when my brother gave me a clock frame to put my own picture in! So this is my first pastel painting - of a horse I saw while riding through Taumarunui.

Song of Songs 4:7

2007-07-23T18:21:00.000+12:00

Here's a pencil drawing I did of the bride dancing with Jesus. I just think it's astoundingly wonderful that Jesus and the Father would look at us and say, "Everything about you is beautiful, my love, there is no flaw in you". He says that of us because He sees the end from the beginning, because He sees us covered in His righteousness. He knows that in the end we will stand before Him without spot, wrinkle or blemish. And He sees us through the finished work of the cross, He will complete all that He has started. We may not be fully mature now, but that is what He sees and declares

World Views

2007-07-23T18:10:00.000+12:00

New Day

2007-07-23T18:09:00.000+12:00

Isaiah 43

Light

2007-07-23T18:04:00.000+12:00

I did this on Thursday 26 April 07

Rose

2007-04-02T18:40:00.000+12:00

Here's a rose that I just painted for someone. I copied it off a photo, so I wouldn't call it a real creative endeavour, but it was fun and it worked much better than my last attempt! My first watercolour painting for years and very enjoyable!

Song of Songs 4:6

2007-04-02T18:37:00.000+12:00

South Carolina

2007-02-22T19:01:00.000+13:00

Here are some photos from South Carolina. Not sure if I would count photography as art or not. Artists would say no, all you do is point and shoot, photographers would say yes, definitely there is an art in taking good photos. Being both, I'm not sure, God makes the picture, I see it and enjoy capturing it...so there's a long intro on my first scenery photos on this site!

Sunrise

2007-02-02T20:05:00.000+13:00

This picture of the sun rising I saw when I was praying some time back in 2004 I think. I nearly missed it because it seemed so normal, but I was pretty excited when I realised God had shown me a picture. I was looking at the sun and it was so beautiful - like the sun was Jesus. No way to explain it but thats what I saw, and it just encouraged me so much because I had had a dream of being on a watchtower looking to the horizon all night, I believe waiting for the dawn, and now it was before me. I painted this on 25 Nov 06

I lift you

2006-12-24T12:15:00.000+13:00

I painted this in South Carolina in the prayer room after seeing this when I was worshipping at Morningstar one evening (on Sun 8 Oct). This picture is kind of what He did to my heart when I visited.

Brokenness

2006-12-24T11:53:00.000+13:00

I thought I was useless

my heart broken, shattered

maybe destroyed

why would you use me

how could You when I

couldn’t hold much

just tears

then they would flow out

over and over again

wondering if there was any hope

if I could be healed

or if You’d have to give up on me

but then You came to me

said I delight in you

and I can use you

despite what it seems

so I gave my heart to you

broken as it was

and somehow you healed it

healed it again

that seems to be the way it goes

broken remoulded

changed so you might put

your treasure in me

and so I sing

of your amazing love

I cry

take my heart again

this heart so soft

so easily wounded

you desired

to be open to you

open to be wounded

open to be bruised

when I think I can’t take any more

you help me to see you

with your back

whipped and beaten

with your face

spat on and bruised

with your heart

broken for me

your tears your anguish

poured out to draw me in

to wash me from

this heart of sin

to pick me up and clean me off

and clothe me in white

I’m not quite sure

why you delight in me

but you keep saying it

again and again

so I give you my heart again

all that I have is yours

you are the finest one

I have ever come across

you soothe my hurting heart

heal my broken soul

and pick me up on your shoulders

to carry me home

Into you

into your heart

to your treasure

the finest part

it’s you you you

all I desire is you

your beautiful face

your indescribable amazingness

it’s you I love

I wrote this on the 13th of December after reading some of Suzy's poems, and thinking, 'I want to write a poem'. So here it is. It relates a bit to my last painting before I went to South Carolina and also to how He healed my heart when I was there in October. It astounds me how He does that!

2006-09-23T13:01:00.000+12:00

I painted this yesterday, 22 Sep 06.

My soul clings to You

2006-09-23T12:39:00.000+12:00

I painted this for a friend on 9th Sep 06.
It comes from Psalm 63:8 :)

A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.

O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.

I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.

Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.

I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.

My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.

Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.

My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me...

World Map

2006-08-31T17:58:00.000+12:00

A little creative endeaver of mine, as I was enjoying learning all the flags and had always wanted to paint a world map sometime. This is a bit smaller than my original idea of painting a map as large as a wall in my bedroom! And I re-discovered how difficult it is to put something sphere-shaped onto 2-D without losing the correct proportions - impossible! As I also found when I tried to put the stars on my ceiling! Anyway, I made this on card, each country with a hole in which to place each flag. Fun.

Psalm 108:1

2006-08-31T17:26:00.000+12:00

A card I painted in July for a friend

2006-08-11T14:18:00.000+12:00

Lily of the valley, how beautiful you are.

Shofar

2006-08-11T14:07:00.000+12:00

I painted this in October 2005 after reading Zechariah 9:14 and thinking it was pretty cool, and wondering what it would look like if it was painted...

Rocks

2006-08-11T13:53:00.005+12:00

Here's a rock I painted while on a South Island campervan holiday in October 2005, after seeing some amazing mountain ranges in our travels!

2 Corinthians 2:14-15

2006-08-11T13:15:00.000+12:00

This card I made by cutting up parts of scrap photos, which was fun and came out heaps better than I expected!

NZ Painting

2006-08-02T15:47:00.000+12:00

I painted this in 2004, during a time I was finding rather difficult. When I painted this, painting verses that I believed God was doing or would do, reminding myself that God has not forgotten our land, it somehow helped me to not be discouraged but to keep looking at Him and what He was doing.

Stand

2006-07-05T15:25:00.000+12:00

(1 Kings 18:35, Ezekiel 37:10 + Rom 14:4)

LOTR

2006-07-05T13:59:00.000+12:00

These are costumes I made in November 2005, for a Lord of The Rings party. The one on the left is Arwen's requiem outfit, made of amazing velvet. I made it without a pattern, but with a bit of help from webpages on how the dress was made. The vest, Eowyn's, I made from scraps of polarfleece material I had. As I am not an embroiderer, the 'embroidery' is actually painted on with acrylic paint.

Psalm 93:4

2006-07-02T21:52:00.000+12:00

I did this painting at a prayer weekend we had at church. I had just dicovered Psalm 93, and was stoked to have the opportunity to spend heaps of time meditating on it!

NZ Paua

2006-07-02T13:52:00.000+12:00

This picture is made from pieces of paua shell, stuck on a piece of painted board. It actually came about because I broke the paua necklace I was making, so thought I'd see how the pieces would fit on a map of New Zealand...

The Maori words for the National Anthem translate as follows:

Let all people,
Red skin, white skin,
Maori, Pakeha,
Gather before You.
May all our wrongs, we pray,
be forgiven.
So that we may say long live
Aotearoa (The land of the long white cloud)

Isaiah 9:3

2006-07-01T22:23:00.000+12:00

I was really excited when I rediscovered the verse that inspired this painting.
The verse before it says,
"The people living in darkness have seen a great light; upon those living in the land that lies in the shadow of death, light has dawned."

Layered Skirt

2006-07-01T21:44:00.000+12:00

Here's a denim skirt I made in 2003. Was real fun to make though the layers were a bit thick to sew through at times!

Sand

2006-06-30T20:23:00.000+12:00

Intro

2006-06-30T16:18:00.000+12:00

Before I put up any stuff on this site, I want to say a bit about where I'm coming from. I believe true creativity comes from relationship with God, Creator.
I think of Bezalel in Exodus 35....
Then Moses said to the Israelites, 'See, the Lord has chosen Bezalel ... and He has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts-- to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic craftsmanship...'
Sure, artistic talent may be passed down in some way through bloodline, but creativity comes from God. I have always enjoyed art and had talent there, but it was only when the Lord started to awaken creativity in me in this way that I started to do stuff that I hadn't seen before. I think it started when He began to encounter me in His Word, deeper than I had ever been before; so that would mean all of it I did after August 2003 :)
A lot, though not all the stuff on this site came about from a place of enjoying God and prayer. I just find it so fun to paint something I have caught just a glimpse of in the spirit...
so from that foundation I want to say that the credit for any good that comes out of this really goes back to Him!