NEW WEBSITE: www.emilyjeanstewart.com

Please visit my new website www.emilyjeanstewart.com. All future blog-posts will be published there. If you're a regular reader know that I LOVE YOU DEEPLY! :) Thanks for your support.

Sparrow Nest: Thank you, Stephen.

Sparrow Nest: Thank you, Stephen.

Thank you, Stephen.

Stephen Baldridge promised he would buy this artwork for $100,000, seeing as he is now a rich university professor. Thank you, Stephen for singlehandedly launching my artistic career. I am indebted to you eternally...

This painting was done on (45"X52") reclaimed wood (aka scrap wood I nabbed from my grandpa's wood shop) with spray paint and acrylic paint. It all started with a collage done in my sketchbook, which I posted a month or so ago on the blog. I'm pleased with the spray paint, and the overall composition of the piece. It seems to have a lot of depth in the way that it's layered. What I'm really digging is the overt social message. This is the kind of art I'm really interested in making... so, thank you Lord for bringing me this far. With His grace, hopefully I can continue to ride this creative wave.

Farewell, and good evening...

Remembering Rwanda Part Deaux

Visions of certain photographs done in arbitrary color schemes seem to come to my mind often. I though it would be interesting to take this composition and try it in several different color schemes. I've decided color is my thing. Perhaps that's why I love much of the art that has come out of Mexico. Traditionally speaking, color has been used extravagantly by the Mexican culture. Then again, I suppose color can be subtile and still classify as extravagant. Needless to say, color matters. I used to think it was alright to use the colors I was visually attracted to and hope it all came out right. I have learned that color theory is DIFFICULT and using color well is a refined talent. I don't think I'm there yet, but it's the path I'm currently walking. I know I'll continue to learn as I experiment.

Remembering Rwanda

Today, I drew a picture from a photograph taken by one of my friends while we were in Rwanda last summer. It is my hope that I will be able to continue to travel. I love traveling, and then returning to reflect on the experience.

Apple Abstractions

The first one is well...

And the second one is... apple morphing into a flying saucer. JK

Strike that, reverse it.

Artistic License, how I love thee

I created this still life/color study this morning. It may seem sort of boring and over done, but the truth is I love apples. I love to eat them. Aside from their nutritional value... they have great color value (gala). It's always good to brush up on observational skills and I feel I'm succumbing to the pressure of proving I can paint... whatever that means. Regardless of my motivation, overall I think this type of painting is beneficial in the long run, even though I don't think is uber creative... it is technical and it's good to get technical every now and then.

When I finish a painting (or sometimes during the process) I feel the overwhelming need to photograph what I've done. It allows me to separate myself from the work and look at it from another perspective. This is one of the pictures I took when the painting was completed.

Because this piece is a 'study' I painted it on a canvas sheet (similar to a piece of paper from a drawing pad). After viewing this photo I've decided I'm going to cut the painting and display it this way. This composition seems much stronger. I like the contrast of the white background and the apples/bowl. Gee it's great to be your own boss! You get to make all the decisions...

New Mexican Adventures

I spent the past several weeks away from home, thus completely abandoning the blog. I've returned from my travels refreshed, encouraged, and ready to begin cranking out stunning works of art (time will tell!).

The first 2 of the 3 weeks were spent in the Sangre de Christo mountains of Northern New Mexico at Camp Blue Haven. There I was reminded that God is very evident in nature, and that mountains are majestic, and steep, and worth conquering, and yet nowhere near as big and great and awesome as the one who spoke them into existence. From there I made a pit stop in Santa Fe where I stayed in a hostel.

I was hoping to meet some colorful characters... but instead paid $18 to stay in a room by myself with 8 beds to choose from. They must have known I am a princess. :) I spent the day bashing around the city looking at art. Some of it was good and some of it was bad. I am also proud to say that I was reprimanded by a local for giving a 'pan-handler' 20 cents. She informed me that he probably makes more money than I do, about $60,000 a year. Hey lady, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em... that's all I have to say about that. :)

I made a quick stop in Lubbock to see some fabulous friends and then spent the last week in Dallas. I had hoped to acquire a fine furry best friend (dog), but it didn't work out. Apparently I am truly meant to be foot-loose-and-fancy-free. I'm back home on the farm and with 3 weeks full of great experiences from which to gain inspiration.

New Direction: Redeeming Idea

As a follower of Christ, I fully believe in his power to redeem. I've also become very aware that my perception of what's going on in the world is often wrong. There is a lot to be fearful of, a lot of sadness, a lot of injustice. Despite all that, I have hope that God is working good. These paintings address this idea.

The first two are 2 of 3 paintings that were a final project for an advanced painting class I took at Texas Tech University. They have been sitting in a box for about 5 years now. I decided it was time to drag them out and rethink the concept. I liked the concept and for me it is so relevant to the way I experience life. During the critique for these paintings my professor asked if I had thought about doing similar paintings on a larger scale... which I thought was a great idea. So, here I am.

I am currently working on the 3 painting pictured here. What you see is the back ground. In the original series the background was completely chaotic symbolizing evil in the world. This time around I'm going to paint cityscapes in the background. Love/hate is how I would describe my feelings for 'the city'. To me the city is often chaotic, and in many ways can represent the destruction that man creates. BUT, even in that chaos many many good things happen. Now that the back ground is complete I will create another painting on loose canvas inspired by something that I perceive to be a problem in my life or in the world. When the painting dries I will cut it up and make flowers out of it to attach to the background painting. The flowers represent God's power to do good in all situations. We exist in the mess, and yet we grow and flourish out of it. That is the beauty of being saved...

Sock Monsters: good for illustrating Truth

I'll admit it... I laughed out loud as I stitched my face onto this sock monster. I had a great time making this thing, and I basically whipped it together this afternoon. Next week I'll be teaching a bible class on Ephesians at Camp Blue Haven. I plan to have the girls make their own (with their faces, not mine... these aren't voodoo dolls people). We'll be using the dolls as a discussion point focusing on the truth that God lives inside of us; the God who can do more than all we ask or imagine, and it's about His power. Anyway... we'll talk about how the dolls have to stuffed with something... why not fill them with the good stuff, right? We'll also be designing our own 'armor of God' for the monsters. I hope nobody finds this sacrilegious. I'm simply being creative in my representation of the word. My grandfather didn't find the monster as humorous as I did... generation gap, maybe?

Studio Show and Tell (I always loved show and tell)

Please excuse the mess! My creative sensibilities are neither minimal nor organized. However, Gretchen asked me to post pictures of the studio, so here they are. The area I use is a sun room. The boxes in the back ground ARE NOT MINE (hint, hint, Uncle Sam... come get your stuff!!). I have my desk over to the right, and most of my art stuff to the left. There's also a wood burning stove which I hope to utilize in the winter time. I envision myself staying nice an toasty when the cool weather creeps in, and if one of my artworks is absolutely despicable... I'll throw it to the flames. It will be devastatingly dramatic. There's always something to look forward to around here.

I'm working with acrylic paints right now, which are not my fav, but apparently the turpentine I'd use to thin my oils will kill the bacteria in the septic tank. The bacteria (in this case) are our friends. I have a rule... never kill a friend who makes your life less stinky. So, my plan is to use up all of my acrylics and devise a safe plan for discarding my artistic waist in the mean time. Suggestions are welcome.

Seeking Perfection & Internet Connection

Internet is down at the ranch. The repairman speculates a mouse is to blame, but the beat he can say is that the problem is between here and town. Good luck with that one, buddy. All that to say that this post will be short.

Here's what I worked on yesterday. It may or may not be part of a collage painting. It is supposed to represent societies ideas of perfection. What I'm thinking about is how those ideals might limit our decisions in life & keep us from pursuing our true purpose. So, really this is only a part of the eventual whole.

So, what I want to know is... If you could do anything in the whole wide world, no limitations or pressure to meet another's idea of perfection, what would it be?

Messed up Mouth

I have been in Dallas for the past few days due to gum graft surgery. This is a "do-over," if you will. I had the same procedure done over spring break, but the tissue didn't take as the doctor hoped it would... thus, here I am. Round 2. The experience has been much better this time and I think I'll be heading back home on Thursday. I thought about taking a picture of the graft, but honestly... it's a bit gross. I don't want to unwillingly subject anyone to that.

Here are some projects I plan to start on when I get home:
1. Wire trees with yarn foliage. (I have a huge tub of yarn that I inherited from Merce)
2. Spray painting (I'm going to practice on large pieces of scrap wood and the side of the wood shop if Peeps will let me)
3. Painting a phrase on the shop roof. (I think it would be hilarious to paint random sayings up there so the planes flying around can see it).
4. More flower paintings (except these will be mixed media where I paint on loose canvas, cut it up, and use the scraps to construct 3D flowers on a stretched canvas.)

New Stuff

My studio area is in order (by my standards). There are still several things I'd like to have and have removed from the room, but it's a great starter space. I've been racking my brain... trying to get my thoughts organized so that I can actually produce something. That can be challenging when there are virtually NO limitations. It's a bit overwhelming and I think that is one of the devils favorite tools against me. It may sound funny, but I'm going to have to pray everyday that God will keep me focused and that he will suppress the critical voice that satan uses to make me unproductive. I'm telling you... for me, this is major spiritual warfare. By all means... PRAY FOR ME!!

Here are a few things I've been working on. 2 are collages from my sketchbook. I'd like to reproduce these as large scale paintings/murals using spray paint and acrylic paint. I'm going to have to gain some spray painting skills, but I don't foresee that taking me very long. The more I think about it, I'll probably be well suited to spray painting. It is quick... and I'm all about quick production. Plus, I'd like these paintings to be appealing to non artist types, and people are often less threatened by spray paint b/c it's not 'high art'.

The painting is for Lauren. I often come back to this flower motif in which I always include a geometric form. The best I can explain is that it represents geometric vs organic. The need for both structure and chaos. The desire for structure while longing to be free. Deep, huh? I scare myself sometimes.

Love you all!

EVERYONE has stopped blogging? What gives?

I am officially a resident of a small Texas farm town, population 2000 or so. I won't name the city for privacy reasons. This is the world wide web after all (and I wouldn't want to tip off the paparazzi), but most of you know where it is I have relocated to. All of the belongings are finally in their new place. There's still decorating to be done, but for now I am satisfied.

I have been without internet up to this point and it really hasn't been too bad, probably because I just acquired an iphone. Once again I am connected to a vast array of knowledge, some good, some bad, some productive and some highly destructive. I'll admit, life seems purer without it... and yet, here I am! What a paradox.

So here's my Top 10 list for REASONS ONE SHOULD LIVE IN SMALL TOWN, TX USA:

10) It's so quite you can hear your nose whistle
9) Fresh air
8) Fashion is not a high priority
7) There are guys like gary who tells jokes no one understands and his excuse is that he's "part retarded"
6) For at least a little while you're the mysterious new kid
5) It's quite possible to know EVERY person in town
4) No crazy nightly local news describing drug busts and murders
3) Everybody does the wave as they drive down the street
2) 12 year olds driving trucks around town
1) Restaurants called "Country Pickins" where they have fabulous beans and a stack of VHS tapes in the corner for no apparent reason.

AFI Dallas

I had a first today. My friend and I attended a movie as part of the AFI Dallas film festival. Each year that I've lived in Dallas the opportunity to attend has been missed, until now. This year I was determined to take advantage of the local opportunity. What's the point of living in the land of cement if you don't capitalize on it's high points?

At about 11am we set out to pick up vouchers I had purchased earlier this week online. It dawned on me this morning that we might have to get our butts in gear on the ticket situation, or we might not get to see some of the movies that were on our list. Sure enough, the movie I wanted to see was tagged "close off" online. Unfortunately, I had no idea what that term meant, but it sounded bad.

After driving downtown to Victory Park, hunting for a parking place, digging around for loose change to pay the meter, and battling our way through the crazy wind tunnel created by the tall buildings (did I mention the small children who were clinging to their parents to avoid being swept away by the strong gusts?), we finally located the box office where a nice, somewhat unorganized man, proceeded to explain the process for getting into the movie. He was able to change some of our vouchers into tickets, but the others will have to be exchanged in a "rush line", which is a whole other situation we dealt with later in the afternoon.

Tickets and vouchers in hand we set off for the movie theater hoping to get into a movie titled "Whatever it Takes." I drove us to Mockingbird Station where the nice box office clerk looked at me cross-eyed when I asked her for thickets to the 1 o'clock showing of the movie. We were at the wrong theater (go figure). She said we need to go to North Park Mall and that we probably had no chance of getting tickets in the rush line because she had stood in line for a movie the night before with no success. So, with Negative Nancy's advice in hand, we proceeded a few exits North on 75 and made it to the theater about an hour before the start of the movie. We stood in line the entire time wondering if our waiting would be in vain.

I am happy to say the hand of God granted us entrance to the movie. It was a great movie. Following the first year of a new school in the South Bronx the movie documented, with great honesty, the struggles individuals face in the public education system. After the movie the director was on hand for Q&A. It was really cool to hear his insights. When asked about distribution of the film he stated that parents and preservice teachers are their target audience. They want parents to see that there are people offering quality education out there. The film offers preservice teachers the opportunity to see some of the issues they might face in what I'm convinced is one of the most challenging careers on the planet.

I truly believe that God is raising up a generation of people who are using their gifts and talents to openly spread Truth. The director and the main character, the principal, are both followers of Christ. The movie flashes back in the principal's personal history to reveal how God changed his life plan and career path from the pursuit of a high-profile job with Saks to a life-long commitment to educating youth who are underprivileged. It was a powerful, though not perfect, story.

All this to say, despite the run around and standing in line, my expectations for the film festival were not let down. Who knew I would have an overtly spiritual experience at AFI Dallas? God works in a amazing ways.

Isaiah 55

Haven't blogged in a while, so here's where I'm at....

Come, all who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and your soul will delight in the richest of fair.
Give ear and come to me;
hear me, that your soul may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
my faithful love promised to David.
See, I have made him a whitness to the peoples,
a leader and a commander of the peoples.
Surely you will summon nations you know not,
and nations that do not know you will hasten to you,
because of the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor."

Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
Let wicked forsake his way
and the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have
mercy on him,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

For my thoughts are not you thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
withough watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread
for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands.
Instead of the thornbush will grow the paine tree,
and instead of the briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the Lord's renoun,
for an everlasting sign,
which will not be destroyed.