Creekscaping

I have not posted a waterfall adventure and painting in quite some time, but that does not mean they are not still happening. I am not bushwhacking to new waterfalls nearly as often, but I have been toting larger wood panels to the same sites multiple times, adding different elements on site and back in the studio, trying to reach a new level with them. I have half a dozen of these that are almost done. Some of them may end up being successful completed paintings, but I admit the process change alters the experience. There is a bliss in creating a complete painting in the one focused visit that is lost. I may start doing some paintings on paper again, or maybe mix some smaller panels in, but in the meantime I have found another way to get my negative ions, connect with the beauty of nature, and be fully present in the moment. I have been playing in the creek.

I spent countless hours playing in the creek as a child and even as a teen continued to visit my favorite spots in the woods off Glendale Drive. My time at Amos Creek is very similar. The soothing sounds, glistening colors, and the gentle challenge of sorting and stacking rocks work together to create a deep calm. In a season of increasing stress and pressure the effect seems nothing short of magical. 

I feel like I need to mention that I am not out in wilderness areas leaving a trace and messing up habitats. My bits of creekscaping are on land that has been domesticated and altered by humans for generations. Larger scale changes to avoid erosion and optimize drainage make the area far from pristine. The salamanders of Amos Creek are used to a shifting landscape. My little creations seem unlikely to ruin their day.

There are artists creating dramatic pieces in nature on many scales. Some are exquisite while others others feel gimmicky. Though I am trying to share a few images of mine they are not meant to be Art with a capital A. They have no chance of permanence. They will wash away with the next rain so there is no need to seek perfection. The bliss is in the moment of balance, the comfort of sorting, the ripples of pleasure that coincide with the flow of light, water, and color.

Inktober Day 29: Shoes

Tuner met them with a smile and a cheerful song. They followed him into the garden where there was quite the crowd of animals ready to celebrate their return. However before she made it that far Allie May came to a cairn of carefully placed rocks. Balanced on the top were her shoes, perfectly clean and undamaged by their time in the deep mud. At the bottom sat her fishing basket and pole, also unharmed. 

“What a lovely way to end my day. Here’s everything I left along the way,” she said with a smile. She had to get up on her toes to teach her shoes.

It felt good to have them on her feet. She put her basket on her shoulder, picked up her pole, and then followed her friends on in to the gathering.

Inktober day 29:Shoe

We have been without electricity since 5:30 this morning. There was no damage to the house or yard, but its absence certainly altered the day.

Visual Search

I do not usually use Microsoft Explorer or their search engine, Bing, but I had a task I needed to do in a different browser today. When I opened a new tab I was given the option to search with an image rather than text. It may have been around for a while but it was completely new to me. I found it fascinating to drag some of my images into the search window and see what Bing thinks are similar to them. If there was not so much work to get done I think I could keep doing it all day…

Currahee Artist’s Guild

The town of Toccoa is just twenty minutes from where we live and I have been aware of it since we first moved to this part of North Georgia and discovered it was home to the only drivers license office in a three county area. It also boasts a lovely Episcopal summer camp my daughter has attended, one of the tallest free-falling waterfalls east of the Mississippi River, and an extremely skilled and honest mechanic. I have visited for each of those things but I never thought of it as an art destination. When a friend recommended I visit the Currahee Artist’s Guild in downtown Toccoa I was a bit skeptical, but both the downtown area which is in the process of being revitalized and the Guild’s gallery were charming.

Migration, Ceramic and Wood Sculpture

There was a nice selection of local art that is well presented and the guild members I met were very friendly. I became a member and entered three pieces in their Fall Arts and Crafts Show.

The show was at the same time as Toccoa’s Fall Festival. My boy and I had a nice time walking through not just the gallery but also the booths lining the streets. There was a chainsaw artist doing a demonstration which is always something I find fascinating to watch.

I was honored that one of my Nesting series, Migration, was awarded first prize in the Pottery category. The Fall show has finished but there is currently a very nice selection of small works and fine crafts set up as Christmas market. Some of my prints, cards, and coloring books are among the other great gifts available. If you are in the North Georgia area I would recommend a visit: 61 Doyle Street — Historic Downtown Toccoa, GA 30577

In the Process of a Redesign

During the past year and a half while our family tried to own and operate a restaurant everything else fell by the wayside. In fourteen months I only finished two paintings and didn’t even notice when my server crashed and my entire website was lost. I am now ready to get back to the studio and rebuild my online presence. Hopefully if you return soon there will be much moer to see here.

Mexico en la Piel

Tonight when I got home from work I sat down with my brother-in-law, his wife, and daughter to talk and drink and talk. He drank wine, they sangria, and I tequila. My brother-in-law put on Radio Quelite on his computer which plays Mexican music from all different regions and times. Huapango, danzon, rancheras, chachacha, I love it all. There wasn’t a song they played that I didn’t enjoy. There really is something about Mexico that touches me deeply. I really hope that I have the chance to live there again someday. I want to go back, not to Cancun, but to the heart of Mexico, to live in a colonial town or city and really be able to soak in the culture completely. How odd is it that the thing that most keeps me from being able to do so is my Mexican husband.

VBS at Templo Monte Calvario

During our week in Piedras Negras each evening we helped with Vacation Bible School at Templo Monte Calvario (Mount Calvary Church), a small Methodist church in a working class neighborhood.

Ramiro narrating with Jerry as Moses
Ramiro narrating with Jerry as Moses
This summer they are doing a Biblical Marathon to give the children a complete overview of the Bible from Creation to the Resurrection. Each mission trip team that comes through Hands and Feet Ministries helps with a week. Ramiro Yanez does an amazing job leading the songs and telling the stories. During our week he told them the stories of Joseph and Moses with an enthusiasm that had everyone there, even the often elusive tweens, engaged and participating. The children all sang and danced, and called out the answers to his questions with excitement. It was obvious the children were not only learning a lot but having tons of fun.
Cristo es mi Superheroe
Deanna, Hallie and I during one of the songs

Because of the way Templo Monte Calvario is located right in a residential neighborhood the children can walk from their homes to VBS. Some of the children’s families are members or regular attenders of the church, but many are making their own decision to spend their evenings at the church and are walking several blocks by themselves to attend. It was neat to see children waiting outside the gate to the church when we arrived. Over 40 kids took part each night we were there.
Moses puppet craft
The Moses puppets were a hit

Our team from Mountain Lake participated by joining the Hands and Feet interns in leading the songs, acting out the Bible stories as Ramiro narrated, helping with the crafts and handing out snacks. Part of the money we raised for our trip went to buying all the supplies needed for the week we were there. It cost between $100 and $150 US for a week’s supplies. This summer there are several weeks without teams coming and financial help is needed so that the Hands and Feet interns and staff members can keep the Biblical Marathon going. Even if it’s not possible for you to go on a mission trip, you can be a big part of helping children come to know Christ by helping a fund a week, or part of a week of VBS for the children of Templo Monte Calvario.
craft time
Craft Time

If you didn’t get a chance to buy one of my Light in Darkness prints to help me raise the money to go to Piedras Negras you can buy one now and all the proceeds will go to Hands and Feet Ministries work in Piedras Negras and Nava. Or you can donate directly to Hands and Feet. If you use their PayPal be sure to click on “Add special instructions to the seller” and let them know it is for VBS in Piedras Negras.

And of course even if you cannot give right now please pray for Pastor Julian, his wife Betty, the Hands and Feet team, and all the children whose lives they are touching.



More about Templo Monte Calvario and a message from Pastor Julian

The School in Nava

La Escuela de Nogal
Escuela de Nogal in Nava
The majority of our week’s work was not actually in Piedras Negras, but 30 miles away in the neighboring town of Nava. Hands and Feet Ministries has inherited and is running a primary school in the neighborhood of Lázaro Cárdenas. This private Christian school serves children in grades 1 through 5 in this low income neighborhood. Not only are the children taught reading, writing and arithmetic but by attending school the children are given the structure that is missing from so many of their lives.
La Escuela de Nogal
Escuela de Nogal in Nava

Unlike most private schools this school is completely free for the children who wish to attend. Not only the tuition, but uniforms, books, and 2 meals a day are offered to the children at no cost to them. When the school lost its funding a few years ago the teachers and staff tried to keep the school open themselves. Hands and Feet Ministries is now running the school but there is so much more they would like to do as funding is available. If you are interested in making a commitment to really making a difference in a child’s life I don’t think you could make a better choice than sponsoring a child that attends this school. Donation Info
Block layers
Our Albañiles: Hallie, Lety, Julio, Diego, Andrew, Deanna and Mike

The construction part of our week was helping to build a new cafeteria and pavilion for the school. Lunch is currently prepared and served in a room that is needed as a classroom. I did not personally lay any block, but several members of our team did. I enjoyed seeing how much progress our “albañiles” made over the course of the week.

Hands and Feet have put together the following video to share more about the work they are doing at the school.

Sunday at Templo Aleluya

The road to Templo Aleluya
The road to Templo Aleluya
Our first morning in Piedras Negras we got up and went to church at Templo Aleluya. The church is not far from where we were staying in the Centro of Piedras Negras, but it felt like it was in the middle of nowhere because of the desert landscape and the unpaved roads we traveled to reach it. When we arrived we found a vibrant congregation already praising God through song.
Praising Templo Aleluya


Praising Templo Aleluya

Worshipping at Templo Aleluya
A troupe of preteen girls in white dresses and blue sashes danced with tambourines as the pastor’s wife and daughter led us in song. After a time of prayer members of the congregation were invited to come forward and share testimonies, needs and praises. It was very moving.

The sermon was preached by a guest preacher, Pastor Eddie. He spoke clearly and paused often enough that I was able to translate what he was saying in a whisper to my team members around me. He stressed that though Christ’s sacrifice was for us all, and His free gift of salvation is open to every single person that it is only those who accept it who are called the children of God. It is difficult to explain how the Gospel message is both inclusive and exclusive at the same time but I think he did a marvelous job. Pastor Eddie also reminded us that we are not required to clean ourselves up before coming to Christ, that He accepts us just as we are, and then through His Holy Spirit the changes we need to make in our lives become possible. It was a great message to start our week with.

After the service was over we toured the grounds of Templo Aleluya. Adjoining the sanctuary is a kitchen and dining area where free hot meals are offered to the community. Over 60 children and mothers have lunch and devotions each week day. Previous groups (55including ones from Mountain Lake) have built what will soon be a school, and a carpentry workshop.

Templo Aleluya
Templo Aleluya
The carpentry workshop is run by Assistant Pastor Flavio Hernadez, who also lives on the property with his wife and daughter. Flavio is a master craftsman, an artist really, who creates beautiful wooden crosses that are sold in San Antonio and on the internet to help raise the money needed for the feeding program and other outreach projects. As the ministry grows Flavio is training people in the community to help him with the process.

I had the honor of being able to spend some time talking with Flavio about the creation process. As fellow artists we seemed to make an almost instant connection. We talked about creating something we think is our own design as opposed to starting with prayer and meditation and asking for the Holy Spirit to inspire a piece and then work through our hands to bring it to fruition.

Templo Aleluya
Flavio Hernandez in the Aleluya workshop
The designs of Flavio’s crosses are full of symbolism and meaning and I truly believe they are inspired work. I would have loved to bring home one of each. I ended up choosing “Solace” because of it’s beauty, symbolism and the captivating way it balances itself. Anyone familiar with my artwork will not be surprised that I chose a cross with a bird on it.

My team members and I gave up a week of our summer to serve God and others. The interns we met while we were there gave up their entire summer. Flavio and his wife, Sister Mari, have devoted their entire lives to serving the Kingdom. They have left the world and gone to live at their church and devote all their time and energy to serving. It was a blessing to be able to meet them and see the work they are doing for the Kingdom.

Solace
Solace - the cross I brought home

To see more examples of Flavio’s crosses and order one for yourself or to give as a very meaningful gift you can visit aleluyaministries.blogspot.com. They also have a facebook page where there are lots of pictures of the the church, people and buildings that make up Templo Aleluya.