The Girls

[caption id="attachment_1926" align="alignleft" width="300"] Art Journal
Derby Girls[/caption]

I'm so glad you stopped by! I've been excited to share this piece with you. I began this piece by sketching and painting in my art journal. Honestly, I was playing with loose figures and watercolors and ended up with "the girls." I really fell in love with them and their personalities. I could hardly wait to bring them to life a little bigger and in oil.

I love working on a piece that I'm excited about. I spent about three days on this piece from start to finish. What that really means is, for three days I'm covered in paint running back and forth from my studio upstairs to my "mom jobs" downstairs. Laundry piles up and dinner is usually late, but thankfully having creative children means they enjoy being in the art room as much as I do. Having my children create along side me is one of my greatest joys. It also makes it easier and more fun to be in the studio for long periods of time.

I painted "the girls" on 1/4inch wood panel because I wasn't quite sure what my plan was when I started. For this piece, I think wood was the perfect choice. I created so many layers using knives, sponges, brushes, different mediums, paper, and paints. I forget sometimes how much prep goes into a painting like this; the planning, the layers, the drying , the waiting, and more layers. I have to constantly remind myself to be patient, and not get ahead of myself so I don't end up with big mud! Even though it takes a while, I do love the process. It's during the process that I discover new techniques, experiment with new ideas, and learn to recover from my mistakes. The process also makes me truly appreciate crossing the finish line. My plan this summer is to create a series of "Derby Girls" doing what they do best, wearing fabulous hats. I hope you fall as deeply in love with "the girls" as I have!

[caption id="attachment_1927" align="aligncenter" width="224"] Prepping wood panel[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1928" align="aligncenter" width="224"] More prep[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1929" align="aligncenter" width="224"] Layers of paint and and papers[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1930" align="aligncenter" width="224"] More layers[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1931" align="aligncenter" width="224"] Finally adding the fun stuff![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1932" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Final Photo. I added a little more paint as it dried. Is a piece ever finished? Sometimes you just have to put the brush down and step away from the painting![/caption]

As I was waiting on my pictures to load, I was thinking back over the process of my piece and what I learned. I was thinking what I might do differently or what I would do again. However, the most important part of the whole piece is preparing the board, the foundation. If the board is not prepped well, it will not support the layers of paint and paper. It might look good at first, but after time it will begin to crack and peel and eventually deteriorate. Our lives are like that painting. We can create for ourselves the most amazing resume layered with hundreds of honors and degrees, but if the foundation is weak it amounts to absolutely nothing. When we build our lives on Christ and seek Him first, no matter the circumstances, we will be able to withstand the storm. He promises in Matthew 7:24-25 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the Rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the Rock." I love that! How strong is your foundation? What are you building your life on? What are you trusting in? Give your life to Christ today and build your life in His hands. He is power. He is Love, and He wants you to trust Him to be your foundation.

love love love Ruthie