"Strawberry Fusion"

Hi! I hope you like this painting. My stepdaughter said it's almost realistic. My husband said "Hmmm, strawberry!" I like strawberries. I didn't know I'd have such fun painting one, too.

"Lord, thank you for your mercy and your grace. Lord, we lift up to you all who are sick and suffering, please help them, Oh Lord. Please heal them, dear Lord. Amen."

"Flower Puzzler"

I've wanted to paint these flowers for so long but only got around to it today. I took some photos of some flowers at a place we visited in New Hampshire in July. My stepdaughter said "oh, i know, they're marigolds!" I looked up marigolds on the internet and they don't look like the flowers from my original photo. I wonder if they are dahlias. I checked my book of watercolor flowers but it only had a picture of African Marigold and it had more petals. Ditto with the dahlia -- the picture in my book had too many petals. Whatever flowers they are, I hope you like the painting above.

I am posting two photographs that I took of the flowers at the place called the Polar Caves. The flowers were in the flower bed in front of the Klondike Store. These photographs inspired the above painting. What do you think? Can you name these flowers?

"Dear Lord, thank you for beautiful babies and the joy they bring to our lives. Bless all children, dear God. Send your angels to watch over them always. Thank you for your healing as we pray for our brethren who are sick. Thank you, dear Lord for your unfailing love. I love you, Lord, you are awesome!"

"Three Pretty Pansies"

I really liked how this painting turned out. My husband liked it, too. That's always a plus! I used a combination of wet in wet and wet in dry techniques for this one. I also did some spattering for the background. Pansies are really beautiful flowers, full of color and rich in contrast. I would love to be able to paint more pretty pansies.

I was scheduled to go out of town today but we were informed late last night and early this morning that the appointment was cancelled. The Lord works in mysterious ways. Sometimes we don't understand the why's or wherefore's of things, we just need to trust in God.

"Thank you, Lord for all your blessings, for your loving care and protection. I put all my trust in You. You know what is best for us. Praise to you, Oh Lord, Jesus Christ!"

"Daisies in a Vase and Pears"

I hope you like this composition. I liked the warmth of the colors in this picture. What do you think? My husband's grandmother loves daisies and she's celebrating her birthday on the 21st of this month. Happy Birthday Nanna! My stepdaughter drove herself to school today. I was so happy when I saw the truck coming up the driveway. We're so proud of her! I thanked the Lord for keeping her safe, we love her so much!

"Dear Lord, thank you for your faithfulness. Thank you for your unfailing love. You are awesome, Lord, praise you!"

"I Dew!"

Marital bliss is a wonderful blessing. One old joke says that the longest sentence in the English language sounds like the title above - "I do". But the gift of finding the one person whom you could love and will love you in return, the one person whose heart is the exact match to your very own -- now that is simply God's grace.

I tried that dew drop technique here to add dimension to the tulip. What do you think? I like it. Do you see the fourth dew drop? It's on the stem.

How about the tulip? I know. I'm just gonna have to do another one and another until it's better.

"Dear Lord, thank you for my wonderful husband. Please bless him indeed."

I was reminded of the wonderful prayer of Jabez by a fellow volunteer at the Church Ministry on Monday. It's a great prayer - and yes, God granted it. God bless you and have a nice day!

"Triplets"

I painted these three sunflowers last night. I love sunflowers but I have to admit it is a challenge to paint them. I used pale yellow and cadmium red for the petals. For the center of the flowers, I used burnt sienna.

What do you think of this painting? I hope you like it. I just keep on painting everyday, I believe it's the best way to learn and get better. One of my favorite daily painters, Carol Marine, mentioned in her blog that daily painting really helped hone her skills. Practice makes perfect.

"Dear Lord, thank you for the blessings you give us everyday. Thank you for the beautiful flowers that you created for us. Let each one be a reminder of your great love for all the world, that you gave your only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)"

Let us count our blessings, not our troubles. Let us pray more instead of worrying. Worry doesn't solve anything, it just adds wrinkles to our face.