The Women With Jesus Opens at the St. Luke's McPhail Gallery this Sunday, May 1

Is your favorite the scandalous Woman at the Well who was so ridiculed that she had to walk for water in the middle of the day, or the woman who believed so deeply in Jesus' touch that after 12 years of hemorraging she did everything she had to do to just touch Jesus' cloak? 

My first series, "The Women with Jesus," along with several other pieces will be on exhibition at the McPhail Gallery inside St. Luke's UMC, OKC, beginning this Sunday, May 1.  The exhibition runs through June 2.  I am thrilled for this opportunity as it is my first running solo exhibition.  I hope that this exhibition is fun and inspiring for its viewers.

The Bridge on Which We Run

The theme for this year's Annual Conference of the Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church is "A Bridge to the Future."  It's symbol is, of course, a bridge that we are to build to connect where we have been to where we are called to go as God's people.  Each year at conference, we open with a Memorial Service in which we give thanks for the pastors and pastors' spouses of our conference who have died this last year.  This year, the worship planning committee has asked me to paint during the service a composition that reflects our theme.  The goal- I am to complete is before the closing benediction!  The text for remembering the departs saints comes from Hebrews 11, "Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us."  So, can I do it?  Can I make this race in an hour?  The answer, "Yes, I can!  I will be surrounded by all those who have who have gone before me and set such faithful examples.  I will be surrounded by all those who support my path of ministry and this new road on which God is taking me.  How can I stumble?"  The service will be Memorial Day, 10:30am, St Luke's UMC, OKC.  I invite each of my two blogspot followers (Ha!), and anyone else who is interested, to come and celebrate the lives of the faithful and the bridge they have built on which we are given to run the race we have been given. 

Pointalism, Crumblism, or Barkalism?

I am working on the 5th drawing within my "The Women With Jesus" series.  In each work I am trying a new technique.  During this most recent work, "The Woman who Touched Jesus' Cloak," I have been inspired to try pointalism.  However, with a medium as firm as oil pastels, I have discovered it to be more like "crumblism," as the pastels seem to crumble all over the illustration board.  However, our sweet Chihuahua, Pepi, has renamed the technique once again.  She doesn't appreciate all the taps that this process makes on the board.   Her response to all this tapping has caused me to think this piece has been more "barkalism" than anything else.  Yet despite the crumbs and the barking, the process is creating an effect that I believe is worth all the chaos.  I'll post an image of "The Woman" soon.

God's Color Palette

As Lydia and I were driving west from church tonight, I felt so at peace and calmed by the BEAUTIFUL sunset over the revitalizing Oklahoma City midtown skyline.  I am in awe when I consider everything that God has sculpted with just a breath and a Word.  Just think that everything we create comes from the materials and colors that God first made for us to use.  Who of us could have ever imagined the color palette that is already in creation?  Ever thankful for the opportunity to use what has been given to us to make something new! 

Trying A Different Audience

I am targeting a different audience for my next piece of artwork.  I am drawing a cartoon scene to invite 4 and 7 year olds to our kids' combined birthday parties.  Since the party is soon, I better get started!

Conte Crayons

I am working on my first portrait, a drawing of my soon to be 7 year old, Samuel Z.  I had initially planned for this portrait to be a black and white and wanted to use graphite since I hate the dryness that charcoal brings to the hands.  Yet my drawing professor had already said in an earlier critique that graphite is very predictable.  So wanting use this intermediate drawing class to try a number of mediums and techniques, I decided I would try the unopened, undiscovered box of Conte crayons, to Prof. Burt Harbison's suggestion.  Great effect.  Moves fast on the paper.  But if I don't like the dryness of charcoal on my hands and up my nose, why did I ever hope Conte crayon would be better???  Here's to a hopefully great portrait of Sam, dry hands, and lots of sneezes!

My Artwork is my Sermon

Last Tuesday, local artist Romy Owens was a guest speaker in our Business of Art class.  She stated that artists share who they are, where they are, and what they are thinking and feeling in their artwork.  As she said this, I realized that my artwork is my sermon.  My artwork is a visual of what is God is speaking to me through the Biblical narrative.  It is what has been brought to me and what I have come to understand about who God is and how Christ loves us and works to liberate us.  In what ways do you express your sermon?

Elephant Abstracts

While visiting the zoo today to see the elephants' new demonstration, we saw Chandra paint with acrylic on canvas.  Spraying and broad strokes were her techniques.  I began to wonder what Jackson Pollock, the drip painter, would have created if he would've had a trunk...

A variety of the zoo animals paint and their work is on exhibition every year at Paseo with sales benefiting the zoo.  What a great fundraiser! 

Great work to see at the April 2nd Friday Art Walk in Norman

I spent the evening with my family walking the circuit in Norman.  I recommend checking out the OU MFA Candidate Exhibitions at MAINSITE Contemporary Art.  All three were such powerful introspections in a variety of mediums.  Gallery123 is celebrating its first birthday.  There I generated a lot of ideas for the commission I am painting during the Remembrance of the Saints at the Memorial Worship Service at the OK United Methodist Annual Conference.  I'm closing up shop now to draw out some plans while they are fresh on my mind!

Skinner-Noble, "The Women with Jesus: Mary Magdalene"

20"x30", oil pastel on illustration board

2011

Skinner-Noble, "The Women with Jesus: The Weeping Five"

20"x30", oil pastel on illustration board

2011