behind the scenes: jeremiah 29:11

when i began this blog, my original intent was to let you into the "behind the scenes" process of my art which i get asked about so often.

here is the history of jeremiah 29:11: the above piece is the original art i created for this passage, using other people's photography (with their permission, of course). as i meditated on the verse, i thought about how God know the direction of our life, even when we do not see it, and so the compass represents the direction He is giving us collaged onto a scroll, as our life or story is being rolled out or revealed. the other idea behind the compass is the fact that if you want to go in the right direction, you must obey it or follow it.

i then wanted to change the art to utilize my own photography, so i did the following:

as i meditated on the verse again, i thought about how we go through life and sometimes it just feels as though we are in a maze, not being able to see the future, the outcome, or even knowing which direction to turn. but GOD sees from above: the overall picture! the beginning and ending of our life, and He knows which direction we should go as He sees the big picture. so, as we walk by faith, it is so comforting to know that He truly does have good plans for our life.
i then take the artwork, convert it to sepia tone and add textures and layers to come up with the final art.

this summer, Demdaco asked me to revisit my visual interpretation of the maze and suggested a compass (even though they had never seen my original art!)
i borrowed an antique compass from a friend, as i wanted the compass to have more character and beauty than the modern one i had previously used and i bought an antique map (on ebay :) looking for interesting shapes, line work, and open spaces for my text and shot the above image with a macro lens.

below is the final art, soon to be in my etsy shop, and being produced by Demdaco for next summer.

first grade

my favorite little mister (my BABY boy!) started first grade today! i got through with surprisingly no tears. i think it was because he was so very excited. i am still amazed that he is mine, much less 6 years old, and now an official first grader. my, how the years have flown by. he said his favorite thing today was organizing his desk (sounds like his mommy...) he also learned how to properly open a milk carton. oh, the good old days.

daddy gave him his back-to-school haircut. yes, the mohawk is back after a whole summer without it (he turned to talk to daddy during his last haircut, thus ruining the "hawk"). daddy even got a matching mohawk to start his school year out also. they're my boys and i love 'em.
teachers truly deserve to be honored and need encouragement throughout the year. hope all of you & your kiddos have a great one!

grace & peace,
julie

"if you say so..."

here is my 4 year old princess . . . and, her new favorite phrase is, "if you say so..." which she says while slightly shrugging her shoulders and waving her hands up in the air. the funny thing is that she's not saying it out of defiance. she says it and goes along with the flow to obey whatever i am asking her to do. the really funny thing is that she is my "why?" girl who normally questions everything, again not so much out of defiance (though i can tell when she is asking it with attitude), but she just really wants to know why? so, i must say i am enjoying these (probably) fleeting moments of the simple, quick obedience with no questions asked, and just wonder how long will this phase last? hopefully through the teenage years? hee hee hee.



and here is my latest baby/child piece featuring my princess herself. thanks for your sweetness sunshine girl!

grace & peace,
julie

beth moore called!

i know i have posted this image before (in my story of how it all began), but i had to write about it again! so, last week i saw beth moore teach at tyndale house publishers (where i formerly worked full time ... i'll write about that later :) and i took her the above artwork framed with a note of thanks for the ministry she has done in my life and for so many of my friends. i was not able to give it to her myself, but my friend who is designing her latest book was able to sneak it to her in the bathroom! i left tyndale not knowing if she would ever really receive it, and about an hour later while i was crazily feeding the kiddos lunch, i got an "unknown name, unknown number" call (of which i rarely if ever answer) & low & behold it was beth moore herself calling me on the way to the airport to thank me for my gift!

i was so deeply encouraged by her words to me; to keep bringing God's Word in my own, unique way, and she also totally encouraged me in my mommyhood. i am not very "star struck" with many authors or "famous" artists, as i try to keep in mind that they are just real people like you and me, but beth truly has God's anointing on her life. her teaching at tyndale was amazing and humbling and challenging, and most of all, her heart for God and the depth and passionate love that she exudes is something i just long for more of. so, needless to say, for her to encourage me to press on and keep glorifying my Savior meant a lot.