Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Nashville Radio
If you are like me, you really appreciate a radio station that, jam after jam, never fails to lift your spirits. I'm not talking about the occasional good song in the midst of filth and who-gave-you-a-record-deal trash! Just quality jams...
Well haven't found that yet in the Nashville area (sorry for the build up)... But the closest thing to it is 92.1 or 92 Q....
Love the mix of Anthony Hamilton and Al Green... they can really blend the oldies with the worthy-to-listen-to new guys. So check them out!
Paint!
Sips N Strokes is a hidden gem in Franklin and Hendersonville TN. Check out their website here for information on their other locations. For $25 artists and amateurs can get their fill of paint supplies along with 2 -3 hours of basic instruction.
Here are a couple of the paintings that I taught and assisted in:
New and Improved!
Soul Art Studio has been renovated! After a very inspiring chat with Sara Estes, co-creator of The Spotted Fox and indie-inspired artist from Nashville TN, I've decided to re-vamp the site into something that is more useful for the readers. Of course I will still highlight my own art work from time to time, but I am really embracing this new concept - The Lemonade Stand
Under Construction!
Please hang tight... we are making some major changes to the blog. I think you will enjoy so check back a little later.
Thank you!
~KellBell~
Thank you!
~KellBell~
Friday, September 17, 2010
Finding my paint style
The dragon was a mistake but eh.... comfort zones are restricting. So far I think the coffee mug and the bird cage really define my creative style. I love the simple and chic, minimally detailed pieces... These were a lot of fun to paint!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Christopher paints a pot of "flowers"
My honey is the ultimate "manly man." So, on my first night of teaching a class at Sips N Strokes, I was not at all surprised to see his take on the painting that I taught - originally a simple black pot with red pansies. Shaking my head at his disobedience, but still oh so proud of his raw talent :)
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Day One
This is the first in the Creation Series that I'm working on. In the center is God clothed in the elements. Love to know what you think.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Growing Together
You have to crawl before you walk... This is another of my attempts to copy the work of another artists. The original, and my inspiration, was called Kenya by Lazlo Emmerich.
Friday, August 6, 2010
What is "Soul Art"?
It’s art that comes from or speaks to your soul.
For me it’s paintings of things that are familiar – travel, culture, family, food, love…
It’s the music I was raised on – Take 6, Keke Wyatt, Karen Clark Sheard…
It’s word play and poetry like Art & Soul in the basement of the Cooper Science Complex from my days walking the campus of an HBCU.
It’s the tight criss-cross of cornrows made from thick kinky hair.
It’s a beautifully colorful plate of mama’s cooking… That’s my soul art!
For you it might be the tunes of a banjo or a photograph of rolled wheat in country pastures.
This is a forum, a melting pot, for Soul Art where differences are welcome!
For me it’s paintings of things that are familiar – travel, culture, family, food, love…
It’s the music I was raised on – Take 6, Keke Wyatt, Karen Clark Sheard…
It’s word play and poetry like Art & Soul in the basement of the Cooper Science Complex from my days walking the campus of an HBCU.
It’s the tight criss-cross of cornrows made from thick kinky hair.
It’s a beautifully colorful plate of mama’s cooking… That’s my soul art!
For you it might be the tunes of a banjo or a photograph of rolled wheat in country pastures.
This is a forum, a melting pot, for Soul Art where differences are welcome!
My Inspiration
After weeks of trying to find the perfect piece (for lack of a better term) to use as inspiration for an original painting, I have found one that gives me ideas gallore. What better source of inspiration than a poem that dramatizes the Creator’s best work?
As a child I was made to memorize this poem, and it still impresses me today! Can't wait to share the artwork that comes out of it... Enjoy.
THE CREATION
by: James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938)
AND God stepped out on space,
And He looked around and said,
"I'm lonely --
I'll make me a world."
And far as the eye of God could see
Darkness covered everything,
Blacker than a hundred midnights
Down in a cypress swamp.
Then God smiled,
And the light broke,
And the darkness rolled up on one side,
And the light stood shining on the other,
And God said, "That's good!"
Then God reached out and took the light in His hands,
And God rolled the light around in His hands
Until He made the sun;
And He set that sun a-blazing in the heavens.
And the light that was left from making the sun
God gathered it up in a shining ball
And flung it against the darkness,
Spangling the night with the moon and stars.
Then down between
The darkness and the light
He hurled the world;
And God said, "That's good!"
Then God himself stepped down --
And the sun was on His right hand,
And the moon was on His left;
The stars were clustered about His head,
And the earth was under His feet.
And God walked, and where He trod
His footsteps hollowed the valleys out
And bulged the mountains up.
Then He stopped and looked and saw
That the earth was hot and barren.
So God stepped over to the edge of the world
And He spat out the seven seas;
He batted His eyes, and the lightnings flashed;
He clapped His hands, and the thunders rolled;
And the waters above the earth came down,
The cooling waters came down.
Then the green grass sprouted,
And the little red flowers blossomed,
The pine tree pointed his finger to the sky,
And the oak spread out his arms,
The lakes cuddled down in the hollows of the ground,
And the rivers ran down to the sea;
And God smiled again,
And the rainbow appeared,
And curled itself around His shoulder.
Then God raised His arm and He waved His hand
Over the sea and over the land,
And He said, "Bring forth! Bring forth!"
And quicker than God could drop His hand.
Fishes and fowls
And beasts and birds
Swam the rivers and the seas,
Roamed the forests and the woods,
And split the air with their wings.
And God said, "That's good!"
Then God walked around,
And God looked around
On all that He had made.
He looked at His sun,
And He looked at His moon,
And He looked at His little stars;
He looked on His world
With all its living things,
And God said, "I'm lonely still."
Then God sat down
On the side of a hill where He could think;
By a deep, wide river He sat down;
With His head in His hands,
God thought and thought,
Till He thought, "I'll make me a man!"
Up from the bed of the river
God scooped the clay;
And by the bank of the river
He kneeled Him down;
And there the great God Almighty
Who lit the sun and fixed it in the sky,
Who flung the stars to the most far corner of the night,
Who rounded the earth in the middle of His hand;
This Great God,
Like a mammy bending over her baby,
Kneeled down in the dust
Toiling over a lump of clay
Till He shaped it in His own image;
Then into it He blew the breath of life,
And man became a living soul.
Amen. Amen.
"The Creation" is reprinted from The Book of American Negro Poetry. Ed. James Weldon Johnson. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., 1922.
As a child I was made to memorize this poem, and it still impresses me today! Can't wait to share the artwork that comes out of it... Enjoy.
THE CREATION
by: James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938)
AND God stepped out on space,
And He looked around and said,
"I'm lonely --
I'll make me a world."
And far as the eye of God could see
Darkness covered everything,
Blacker than a hundred midnights
Down in a cypress swamp.
Then God smiled,
And the light broke,
And the darkness rolled up on one side,
And the light stood shining on the other,
And God said, "That's good!"
Then God reached out and took the light in His hands,
And God rolled the light around in His hands
Until He made the sun;
And He set that sun a-blazing in the heavens.
And the light that was left from making the sun
God gathered it up in a shining ball
And flung it against the darkness,
Spangling the night with the moon and stars.
Then down between
The darkness and the light
He hurled the world;
And God said, "That's good!"
Then God himself stepped down --
And the sun was on His right hand,
And the moon was on His left;
The stars were clustered about His head,
And the earth was under His feet.
And God walked, and where He trod
His footsteps hollowed the valleys out
And bulged the mountains up.
Then He stopped and looked and saw
That the earth was hot and barren.
So God stepped over to the edge of the world
And He spat out the seven seas;
He batted His eyes, and the lightnings flashed;
He clapped His hands, and the thunders rolled;
And the waters above the earth came down,
The cooling waters came down.
Then the green grass sprouted,
And the little red flowers blossomed,
The pine tree pointed his finger to the sky,
And the oak spread out his arms,
The lakes cuddled down in the hollows of the ground,
And the rivers ran down to the sea;
And God smiled again,
And the rainbow appeared,
And curled itself around His shoulder.
Then God raised His arm and He waved His hand
Over the sea and over the land,
And He said, "Bring forth! Bring forth!"
And quicker than God could drop His hand.
Fishes and fowls
And beasts and birds
Swam the rivers and the seas,
Roamed the forests and the woods,
And split the air with their wings.
And God said, "That's good!"
Then God walked around,
And God looked around
On all that He had made.
He looked at His sun,
And He looked at His moon,
And He looked at His little stars;
He looked on His world
With all its living things,
And God said, "I'm lonely still."
Then God sat down
On the side of a hill where He could think;
By a deep, wide river He sat down;
With His head in His hands,
God thought and thought,
Till He thought, "I'll make me a man!"
Up from the bed of the river
God scooped the clay;
And by the bank of the river
He kneeled Him down;
And there the great God Almighty
Who lit the sun and fixed it in the sky,
Who flung the stars to the most far corner of the night,
Who rounded the earth in the middle of His hand;
This Great God,
Like a mammy bending over her baby,
Kneeled down in the dust
Toiling over a lump of clay
Till He shaped it in His own image;
Then into it He blew the breath of life,
And man became a living soul.
Amen. Amen.
"The Creation" is reprinted from The Book of American Negro Poetry. Ed. James Weldon Johnson. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., 1922.
Table Talk
Challenge:
1. Make a delicious meal.
2. Gather your family or circle of friends.
3. Turn off your television, radio, computer, or cell phones… Whatever distractions of choice stand between you and your loved ones.
4. Talk. Simple as that. Get to know each other.
Yesterday’s pleasant “appreciate today” moment came when my family did just that. We went around the table once and told our worst moments of the day, then went around again and told the best moments.
4 out of 4 best moments were just being together and talking about our day with each other.
1. Make a delicious meal.
2. Gather your family or circle of friends.
3. Turn off your television, radio, computer, or cell phones… Whatever distractions of choice stand between you and your loved ones.
4. Talk. Simple as that. Get to know each other.
Yesterday’s pleasant “appreciate today” moment came when my family did just that. We went around the table once and told our worst moments of the day, then went around again and told the best moments.
4 out of 4 best moments were just being together and talking about our day with each other.
Food for Thought
This devotional thought was taken from a Seventh Day Adventist website... thought it was pretty on point.
Advice isn't always useful
Although the tongue weighs very little, few people are able to hold it.
Biblical text: Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. (James 3:5 NIV).
Ida and David both wanted all their sons to graduate from college. They knew their boys would have to pay their own way since David never made more than $150 a month. Still, they encouraged their sons to achieve all they could. Arthur, however, went directly from high school to a job. Edgar began studying law. When Dwight graduated, he didn't have a goal in mind, so he and Ed made a pact: Dwight would work two years while Ed studied, sending Ed as much as he could, and that they would reverse the arrangement. While working, Dwight found an opportunity that appealed to him more than college - West Point.
Both Ida and David were crushed by Dwight's decision. Ida was deeply convinced that soldiering was wicked. Still, all she ever said to him was, "It is your choice." David also remained silent, allowing his adult son full freedom to forge his own adult future. Yes, Ida and David wisely held their tongues - but they never withheld their applause, especially on the day their son, General Dwight Eisenhower, became President of the United States of America.
Refraining from giving advice may actually turn out to be the best gift you may ever give a person.
Advice isn't always useful
Although the tongue weighs very little, few people are able to hold it.
Biblical text: Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. (James 3:5 NIV).
Ida and David both wanted all their sons to graduate from college. They knew their boys would have to pay their own way since David never made more than $150 a month. Still, they encouraged their sons to achieve all they could. Arthur, however, went directly from high school to a job. Edgar began studying law. When Dwight graduated, he didn't have a goal in mind, so he and Ed made a pact: Dwight would work two years while Ed studied, sending Ed as much as he could, and that they would reverse the arrangement. While working, Dwight found an opportunity that appealed to him more than college - West Point.
Both Ida and David were crushed by Dwight's decision. Ida was deeply convinced that soldiering was wicked. Still, all she ever said to him was, "It is your choice." David also remained silent, allowing his adult son full freedom to forge his own adult future. Yes, Ida and David wisely held their tongues - but they never withheld their applause, especially on the day their son, General Dwight Eisenhower, became President of the United States of America.
Refraining from giving advice may actually turn out to be the best gift you may ever give a person.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
One Step at a Time...
I’m learning day by day not to wish my life away. Whenever I find myself thinking “I can’t wait until…. Till lunch… till tomorrow… till this time next year…” I have to remind myself to find the joy in this very moment. And… there always is something pleasant to enjoy.
This summer has been a totally new experience for me… I went from being a law student, to insurance lawyer, fiancée, and artist, and stepmom extraordinaire…. I’m now spending my days helping immigrants and painting… and baking birthday cakes for oh-so-grateful 9 and 10 year olds. I love my life and I know that this is exactly where God wants me right now.
Still some days, the thought escapes… I can’t wait until the day when I have more free time… more money… more experience…
Well, in reality this time is a necessary building block to prepare me for what is to come… No need to wish away these learning experiences. Today I have 24 hours, just the same 24 hours that I will have on August 5th 2020. The best thing to do is to enjoy the flowers that I see, the people that I meet, the opportunities that come my way TODAY.
This summer has been a totally new experience for me… I went from being a law student, to insurance lawyer, fiancée, and artist, and stepmom extraordinaire…. I’m now spending my days helping immigrants and painting… and baking birthday cakes for oh-so-grateful 9 and 10 year olds. I love my life and I know that this is exactly where God wants me right now.
Still some days, the thought escapes… I can’t wait until the day when I have more free time… more money… more experience…
Well, in reality this time is a necessary building block to prepare me for what is to come… No need to wish away these learning experiences. Today I have 24 hours, just the same 24 hours that I will have on August 5th 2020. The best thing to do is to enjoy the flowers that I see, the people that I meet, the opportunities that come my way TODAY.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Friday, June 4, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
What happens when you are too busy for your passion?
Whether it's the love of your life or simply a casual hobby, one of life's greatest frustrations comes with the realization that there is simply not enough time to spend indulging in something or someone that you love. . . That is of course, if you are in the box along with the millions of Americans who choose to work in an industry that is different from the area of life that you love most. Practical example: I enjoy practicing law. Interpreting a seemingly unambiguous statute to mean completely different things based on the interests of my client... that is a fun little intellectual challenge. But I love art... I mean, I really really love learning about new techniques and I love finding myself lost in a new art gallery or even just floating down the aisles of Home Goods and looking at the trendy and trite commercial paintings. My favorite lazy Sunday afternoons are spent in a room flooded with natural light, painting whatever whimsy my heart desires.
I also love Spanish, and home decorating, and cooking, and tea parties, and spending time with my honey... How will I ever know about all of the other fantastic things in life that I would enjoy if I spend the rest of my life stuck in an office interpreting statutes?
See the frustration?
So, the possible solutions to this little dilemma require guts and ambition, and super spunk. But the possibilities that could result are endless... Think
Jordan
Martha Stewart
...the people on Dancing with the Stars.
When you are bold enough to ignore the temptation to make quick money doing something standard and determine that you'd rather do what you love for the rest of your life, well... you may end up broke. BUT you may end up filthy rich and super happy...
I also love Spanish, and home decorating, and cooking, and tea parties, and spending time with my honey... How will I ever know about all of the other fantastic things in life that I would enjoy if I spend the rest of my life stuck in an office interpreting statutes?
See the frustration?
So, the possible solutions to this little dilemma require guts and ambition, and super spunk. But the possibilities that could result are endless... Think
Jordan
Martha Stewart
...the people on Dancing with the Stars.
When you are bold enough to ignore the temptation to make quick money doing something standard and determine that you'd rather do what you love for the rest of your life, well... you may end up broke. BUT you may end up filthy rich and super happy...
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
My Sips N Strokes Audition Piece...
Tell me the truth. Would you hire me (keeping in mind that I didn't choose the scene to paint and had about two and a half hours to play with this)?
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Random Rantings
Because this is still just my blog, I'm taking executive liberties and dedicating this post to the random rantings which I would ordinarily think through while attacking a blank canvas in the middle of my boyfriend's dining room table. I'm out of paint supplies and still not able to get to Michael's....Nashville took a pretty hard hit from last weekend's rain fest and much of the city is still underwater or just recovering from the damage. Lesson learned - always prepare for the worst and stock up in advance. Larger lesson - God is great, so merciful and kind when the biggest of my worries is that I'm out of paint supplies. Friends of mine took their exams with borrowed books and laptops because their homes were completely washed away. Guess tonight is one of learning lessons - the next one being cling to those things which are eternal. This world is not our home, we're just only passing through.
If I had a canvas tonight, I would paint a scene of despair, reflective of the many tumultuous feelings swirling through my head, my home, and my city. The air outside is filled with grief and disaster. Just take a walk through the Kroger in Bellevue... everyone sort of looks like they were abandoned and left to die. I think a good number of the pajama-wearing-no-hair-combing zombies are just taking advantage of this little situation to relax their already quite relaxed standards a bit.... but its still pretty depressing.
Then there is home.... a war zone of flashcards and outlines at the moment. I've completed 4 huge exams, and with one more to go I am so mentally exhausted. I would paint something dark and angry in hopes that getting those dramatic sentiments out on canvas would calm my spirits and help me to return to the sweet sensible person that I normally am. Note to anyone thinking of law school - it is a stressful character-building experience to put it nicely.
To sum it up, because there is still that one exam to study for, I'm blessed tonight to be alive and well and loved. Can't let complaints of stress and disaster take that away...
If I had a canvas tonight, I would paint a scene of despair, reflective of the many tumultuous feelings swirling through my head, my home, and my city. The air outside is filled with grief and disaster. Just take a walk through the Kroger in Bellevue... everyone sort of looks like they were abandoned and left to die. I think a good number of the pajama-wearing-no-hair-combing zombies are just taking advantage of this little situation to relax their already quite relaxed standards a bit.... but its still pretty depressing.
Then there is home.... a war zone of flashcards and outlines at the moment. I've completed 4 huge exams, and with one more to go I am so mentally exhausted. I would paint something dark and angry in hopes that getting those dramatic sentiments out on canvas would calm my spirits and help me to return to the sweet sensible person that I normally am. Note to anyone thinking of law school - it is a stressful character-building experience to put it nicely.
To sum it up, because there is still that one exam to study for, I'm blessed tonight to be alive and well and loved. Can't let complaints of stress and disaster take that away...
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