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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.