The Pictures Do Not Do it Justice!

I am proud and pleased to announce that my first special edition first portrait is now complete!!  I am pleased with the way it turned out although I know there is plenty of room for improvement and as I continue to turn out this special edition portrait of the prophet it will look even better.  I am posting it on my special edition page where it will be available for sale, signed as a first piece by me.  

While I stock up on cherry wood and perhaps even oak and pecan on which I can create this special edition piece I will begin looking for the perfect piece of wood to portray my next special edition piece on.  While I plan to do a Cowboy at the Cross piece I also have in mind and heart to portray a patriotic piece as well.  SO little time and so much inspiration.  But it is better this way for often it is the other way around, when I had so much time and a lack of inspiration.  Details for these upcoming special edition portraits will be put in upcoming posts so check back soon!

I am excited about starting them and eager to get going!!  Please follow my blog and thank you for stopping by.  I appreciate comments even from one-time visitors.   

Portrait Almost Complete

          After a bit more work I am nearing completion on this wonderful portrait.  I am slowly gaining confidence working with people and may in time move on to other subjects.  The shading on the left lapel and shoulder part of the suit is only begun and I may spend time touching up other areas as I go. 

           I will also fine tune the eyes and make them stand out a little more.  I can't wait to purchase more cherry wood pieces and burn many other interesting subjects on them!  I am also currently looking into leather to burn on and may soon offer some one of a kind leather canvas originals. 

          I am very pumped because as soon as this piece is complete I want to work on another great portrait that I lead sketched some time ago.  It will be more exciting because it involves a person and an animal.  It will be a Western theme, Cowboy at the Cross series.

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Hero Bracelets

        While we have many customers that come and go in the dress shop I currently work at, I still manage to remember names and faces.  I have many stories to tell but I don't find it appropriate to put them all on this blog.  Anyway, this past Valentine's Day, a young couple came in looking for a ball gown.  They were likely Seniors.  While an odd couple in appearance I'd say they were a match in personality.  Their names were Mickey and Melinda.  

         I helped Melinda find her perfect dress and discussed different ball and prom topics with her boyfriend while she tried different dresses on in the dressing room.  When she was satisfied and her boyfriend was satisfied she purchased and they left happily to go find Mickey a tux.  I don't normally watch customers leave, but I felt something amiss and watched this couple get in their vehicle and leave.  I couldn't tell what it was though.   

         A dozen or so customers later I am strolling the isles and happen upon something lying on the floor.  It was a leather bracelet with the lines: SPC James N Dykes      Mobile, AL US Army Arghanistan 2011   burned on it.  On the back was a link and the words Made in the USA.  I new it was likely a special bracelet to its owner and wanted to get it back to them right away, but who's could it be.  One sniff told me who.  Mickey's face popped in my head the moment the smell of cologne it carried touched my nose.  Then I remembered seeing it on his wrist.  Amazingly, I didn't notice any particular odor around them, probably because the only odor I ever notice around people is the repulsive smell of cigarettes- but my subconscious remembered by smell who the bracelet belonged to.  

        I kept it at the store for two days hoping the Mickey would come back for it, but realizing that he might not even remember where he lost it, I decided that I would hang onto it.  If I ever run into him or Melinda again it's as good as theirs again, but until then, it's mine.  I'm proud to wear it because I'm hoping that others will ask about it.  And I can tell them the same thing I'm going to tell you.  

        Bracelets such as Mickey's can be found at  www.herobracelets.org    I highly recommend visiting the site and even have a few other links.  Please look through the following links before you continue browsing herobracelets.org on your own.  If, like me, you are not related to any US service member or veteran you can easily adopt one.  

         Channing Moss' story.  I cut this story out of my local newspaper and have treasured it all these years.  Now I finally got to hear it again!  visit:    

http://herobracelets.org/2010/06/14/amazing-story-of-channing-moss/

                   http://herobracelets.org/2010/04/28/the-tampon-story-%E2%80%93-a-true-story/

http://herobracelets.org/2010/04/26/letter-from-a-young-marine-to-his-mother/

http://herobracelets.org/2010/04/26/moms-prayer-for-her-son/

               And a note to Mickey if he should ever come across this.  You can have the bracelet back if you still want it.  Until then, I'll be spreading the word about Herobracelets.org to anyone who asks.  I'd heard about it years ago but perhaps failed to check it out or forgot about it.   The bracelet will have lost it cologne odor because I'm going to condition it with mink oil.

Almost There

I've been having a lot of fun with this portrait, more than I'd ever imagined.  It's quite a thrill and adrenaline rush for me as I know one little mistake could completely ruin it.  I've moved onto the suit and lapel, making steady progress.

I was inspired today by two very interesting quotes I ran across.  The one by an unknown.

"If Someone tells you that nothing is impossible, ask him to dribble a football."

The other quote was by Abraham Lincoln:  "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."

I'll be posting more updates soon.  Thanks for looking, become a follower and come back soon!  Information concerning the purchase of this First Edition portrait will be posted nearer its completion on the Special Edition page.

WEG Coloring Contest

First off, Here is my progress on the piece of the prophet, Brother William Marrion Branham.  I will be moving on to the rest of his hair and experimenting on scrap pieces of wood with shading.

I want to darken the wood around him, yet the tone of the cherry is so pretty I can't quite bring myself to char it all.  So perhaps, I wont.  Your opinions would be appreciated and always are.

While the eyes and  nose and forehead are good, I feel that the firmness of the chin and lower jaw isn't true to life for this man.  I will have to study more references and see if I can shade some more there. 





Next, I present two pieces of art, this first on the right I no longer own.  It was submitted to the coloring contest Breyer Reeves, Horse Modeling Co. hosted last year.

Because I wanted their Espirit model for myself and couldn't bring myself to spend the money on it...I submitted it hoping for any of their first, second, or third place prizes.  Alas, mine was apparently not chosen, or perhaps disqualified for some odd reason.  In order to burn the paper I had to use cardboard paper, which smelled horrible during burning.

You cannot see it in this photo but I also took a lighter and burned the edges to frame it in a singed border.  The coloring was done with my new oil pencils.  If I would have submitted it while I was still 17 I could have very likely made first place amongst others my age, but because I had to submit it as an 18 year old I was standing against senior experienced artist, many of whom probably had degrees in fine art. 

And this was my original coloring...you can't see it very well but the horse is a beautiful rose champagne color.

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A Portrait TOO Great for Me

              I have long contemplated this portrait, and it keeps pressing upon me.  So even though I risk failure, I would also forfeit my chance of success if I shied away from it.  I had to do it.  And while I waited months for approval and response about a copyright, I decided to try my hand at sketching my own poses of this great man.  After many failures at the sketchbook...I have conceived an acceptable representation. 

             Again, I am toying with failure.  It's like playing with fire.  I hate failure.  But I know that if I fail this time and keep trying, perhaps one day I will be able to do pyrographic portraits and this one will be my all time favorite. 

             I have studied many pictures of Brother William Branham, those out of the Messenger Book Sister Rebekah put together and some various ones I found laying around.  One was on the cover of an item older than the cassette tape itself.  A large single reel of magnetic tape- not sure what it was called.  Oddly enough, though I have been able to look at portraits and somewhat decently portray people I couldn't capture the character in the eyes of this man, and thought perhaps the portrait was too over my head.  Perhaps I don't yet have the ability.  However, while listening to one of his sermons, I was able to sketch out the design used in my next piece on a piece of cherry wood.  

            I hope to make these readily available in One of A Kind pieces, Available Art Pieces, and Special Edition Portrait pieces in all different forms on all different pieces of wood.  However, this first one has to be a masterpiece first.  

            I failed to take pictures of it in sketched form but you can see my progress in burning.  I started with the eyes...and was quite unsatisfied so I sanded them clean again and started over.  Still unsatisfied so I repeated the process at least four times until I got what you see above. 

             I realize that if I fail I will at least have had practice with my shading, although cherry wood is somewhat expensive, more so than basswood.  These cherry wood pieces burn very easily, almost as easily as basswood, and burn a nice red color.  I cannot wait to burn many more of them.  

              Please comment and thank you for looking at my blog.  I hope that everyone can become a follower or subscribe by using the follow widget on the right.

Christina Aguilera And Her Painful Rendition of Our National Anthem

           While you probably wont have an appetite for more than one round of Christina Aguilera's version of The Star Spangeled Banner  it must be said that she seems to think that running her vocal chords up and down the length of her throat is going to make it great.

          I think "stars" (those chosen to be trodden underfoot and sacrificed to the public after worship) don't understand how our National Anthem was meant to be sang.  It's a song of America's Victory, Glory, and Granduer.  Not a portrayal of strife, pain, anguish, trial and torment. 

          As my Orchestral conductor, Dr. Robert Seebacher tells us when playing great pieces of repretiore like The Great Gate of Kiev in Pictures in an Exhibition, "You want to immerse the audience in the song, not smack them oer the head with it!!"  This surely applies to our National Anthem.  Why can't we pick a decent civilian to sing our National Anthem, not a Hollywood vanity?

Investigating Angels

I am a believer in aliens; but not little green martians or demented monsters that torture and perform tests on humans. These videos are not proof of Russian technology because the Russians have no interest in the temple mount.



In my opinion this seems to be similar to what I imagined the Magi to have seen hanging above Jerusalem when they were on their journey to find the Christ-child. While agnostics and atheists scoff at "The End of the World", regular visits such as these should make a person wonder. Just what is going on?!



Whether you believe in aliens or not...something is going on. Someone is taking great interest in the Temple Mount and Military testing in Utah. And it is not the Russians.



I have begun work on my own special edition portrait and if I succeed I will post its progress on my blog. Thanks for coming and feel free to leave comments of your opinions of the UFO videos.

McNaughton's Fine Art

          The other day I was sent a video by a friend.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and loved the artist's work so much I decided to look at his other paintings.  Here is the link to his home page.  I am still enjoying the many creations he has painted.  His subjects are not the least shallow and the symbolism in each painting amazes me.  So I thought I would share it with you.

                                                     http://www.mcnaughtonart.com/

           I am also happy to announce that I am expanding my shipping to Canada.  The shipping costs for Canadian clients will be higher but I will be researching the most economical way to ship my wood pieces in the near future.  

          Thirdly, I have not received the feedback about my request of copyright permission so I have went ahead and crafted my own unique design for the Special Edition Portrait Page.  With a little more careful planning I should have news of my next great Pyrographic design and its availability to YOU!

           I encourage you to follow my blog or subscribe (options on the right hand side) or if you have Facebook, share it with all of your friends and connections.  Thank you for stopping by.