Dear Friends,

     It’s a lovely, hot, summer day here in the Heartland: a good time for a fresh newsletter about my art-making adventures. I was working on a sketch for a new painting earlier, of little ballerinas preparing for a recital and receiving last minute instructions from their teacher. This is the third now in a series on work: something many of us think about a lot these days with so many out of work. This series is springing from my thoughts on an essay, “Good Works and Good Work” by C. S. Lewis. The first two paintings in this series have done well so far. “Artist at WORK” received Best of Show in the Mid-Missouri Artist’s Spring Show in April. And “The WORK of Art” got 2nd place at the Sedalia Visual Artist’s Summer View Show this month. It’s also been juried into the Artist’s of Northwest Arkansas Show along with another painting, “Georgia Sunlight” painted shortly after my husband and I returned from a mission trip in September to the little country of Georgia located on the Black Sea. That painting got 1st place in the Summer View Show. The Arkansas show opens next month.

     One unusual project I did this year was to “paint” (in pastels) a picture of Jesus on the cross during our church’s Easter services. It shows His head and shoulders positioned as if the viewer were at eye level with Him as the thief on the cross would have been. The pastor’s message was on that thief, with the painting illustrating his sermon. I worked on an easel at the front of the church with my back to the congregation so that everybody could watch the painting “come to life”, but we thought later that it would be a big improvement to film over my shoulder and project the process on the big screen at the front of our church, so we’re planning to do that next year, unless I get inspired with another subject that would illustrate a sermon or a song before then. I’m praying about it.

     As an art teacher who is in the
classroom three days a week
during the school year, I thoroughly
enjoy these lazy summer days
when I have more time for fun
and family times and ART making!

Have a great summer,
Linda

Linda and her new grandson, Caleb viewing art at the Cole Camp Fair in September.

Linda painted "This Day" in pastels during Easter services.