My wife and I went with our daughter and her husband to visit the homes of our ancestors in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. We drove up to Provincetown. It was early evening and the sun was going down. We pulled over on the side of a road because my granddaughter called. While my son-in-law was talking, my daughter, my wife and I walked down to the water. It was low tide. We enjoyed walking out in the wet sand. It felt good squishing up between our toes. We found a lot of little sea creatures and shells.

There were several boats that had been left out in the water, and with the tide out, they were sitting on the ground. I was intrigued by the sight. The sunset reflected in the water. Everything that wasn’t lit by the sunlight had a bluish shadow over it.

It talks about a woman who had a disease, an issue of blood for twelve years and had spent all of her money trying to be healed by the doctors. When she had heard of Jesus, she thought that if she could touch his clothes she would be healed.

There was a large throng of people. As Jesus passed by, she touched the hem of his garment and was healed. Jesus immediately wanted to know who touched his clothes. Jesus “immediately knew that virtue had gone out of him, turned about in the press and said, Who touched my clothes?”

His disciples mentioned that there was a huge crowd. Jesus looked around to see the woman. She feared and trembled, probably thinking he would be angry with her. She fell down before him and told him what she had done.

“And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole;  go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.” See Mark 5:25-34.

I’ve tried to give a real-life portrayal of this story. A technique I’ve used is creating sunlight and shadow. Sunlight has a yellow tint to it. The shadow usually is a reflection of the sky, so it is generally blue. Notice the yellow on the left side of the clothes and the blue on the right.

This painting is of the famous fountain on Broadway and Third in Madison, Indiana. It is very famous.  It was presented to the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876 by the Republic of France. Later the Indiana Order of Odd Fellows bought it and gave it to the city of Madison, Indiana.

I’ve always loved seeing  it during the fall when the trees have changed colors. There is a gorgeous church nearby which makes a dramatic background.

The painting has been at the Madison Table Works Gallery and was recently purchased there. I’m always very happy to have my paintings go to a good home.

This painting is of the first miracle Jesus performed. You can read about it in John 2:1-11. There was a marriage in the city of Cana in Galillee. Mary, the mother of Jesus was there, and Jesus and his disciples attended. They wanted wine, but Mary told them it was gone. Jesus said, “Woman, what have I to do with thee?  Mine hour is not yet come.”  John 2:4.

Mary told the servants to do whatever Jesus told them to do. He told them to fill six water pots with water, so they filled them to the brim. They took them to the governor of the house. The ruler of the feast, when referring to the wine, was surprised they had saved the best wine for last, since the custom was to serve the best first. He was unaware that Jesus had turned the water into wine.

I wanted to portray the festive feeling of a wedding, so the two men at the right are enjoying a conversation. Mary is showing Jesus that the pitcher of wine is empty. My daughter, Sarah, made the costumes that appear in the painting. She also is the person who portrays Mary. I had three friends come pose for the others.

As I have mentioned before, my life was spared after a long, horrible experience in the intensive care unit of the hospital. It was really a miracle I survived. Because of this, I am showing my thanks to God by painting pictures from the life of Jesus Christ.

In Luke 2:42-52, it says Jesus and his parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of the passover. When it was over, Jesus tarried in Jerusalem when his parents went back home. Mary and Joseph thought Jesus was coming back with the rest of the company. After a day, they asked their friends and relatives if they had seen him. They ended up going back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple “sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.” The people there were astonished “at his understanding and answers.” Keep in mind he was a twelve year old boy.

Mary and Joseph found him. Mary rebuked him, saying she and his father (meaning Joseph) “have sought thee sorrowing.”

“And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me?  Wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” Jesus was speaking of his Father in Heaven, not Joseph.

I have painted this scene as I imagined it. I hope you like it.

Since I survived that ordeal, I have felt I should show my thanks to God. To do this, I will be painting, from time to time, scenes from the life of Jesus Christ. The first one is of Mary and Elisabeth. (See Luke 1:5-60) Elizabeth conceives in her old age. Mary conceived when the Holy Ghost came upon her “and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee.”

Elisabeth was Mary’s cousin. Mary went to visit Elisabeth. When Elisabeth saw Mary, her baby leaped in her womb. Her child would be John the Baptist. Elisabeth and her unborn child were excited because Mary was carrying the Son of God.

I have tried to portray this moment in my painting.

This is the finished painting from my August 31st post entitled “Painting in Progress.” I had been in the hospital for a very long time, nineteen days of which were in the intensive care unit on life support. I have been home now for almost four months. It has been very hard for me to do a painting again. My attention span and motor skills have suffered from my illness. After the horrible experience of almost losing my life, I wanted to paint something that would bring me comfort.

My maternal line is basically Scottish. Mom used to bounce me on her knee and sing a Scottish folk song. Her paternal grandmother was from England. Mom learned the love and tenderness of her grandma. Those British traits were used to raise me. I remembered an experience I had. I was walking over the Westminster Bridge in London when I heard bagpipes. Hearing bagpipes makes me cry. I hurried to where the sound was coming from. A Scotsman was standing there in his kilt playing beautiful melodies. I took video of it. This memory brought all the warmth of my mother’s tender care to me. I had to paint it.

The painting shows the buildings backlit. The people have a highlight on the top of their heads to show they are backlit, too. I have used atmospheric perspective to show depth. To do this, the persons closest are painted larger than the ones further back. The features of their faces are done very simply, because you cannot see the detail in real life when they are in a similar position. I have also tried to portray the gesture of the woman in the center while she walks.

This painting of Tom’s depicts a special day with his children when they were young. Today these children are with Tom at his bedside in the hospital. – SF

Paddling a canoe has always been one of Tom’s favorite things to do. It seems fitting to post this beautiful painting on his surgery day. He has a long recuperation ahead of him, but if all goes well, he will be padding a canoe down a peaceful river in the near future. -SF

Remembering a wonderful trip to London.

Note: Tom’s surgery was postponed a few days. Meanwhile, he is hospitalized. I will continue to post some of his favorite paintings while he recovers.  – SF