My first painting I’ve finished for 2024 is a commission painting. A collector of mine had a concept for a faith based painting that she wanted me to paint. Watch as I take you along the journey of the creation of Faith in the Storm.

First, always a toned canvas. I pick a color that I would like to see peek through if it so happens. It’s usually the compliment color. I knew I was going to paint a stormy blue sky, so I picked orange. I think it just kinda livens things up a bit.

Below is my stormy sky getting filled in. I think I’ve lost all my fun bits of orange though, oh well it happens.

After much swooping and sweeping strokes of blues and grays, I finally got the stormy sky how I wanted it. A few times, I’d have it perfect and then see one stroke out of place after I stood about 6 feet back from the painting. I try to fix the stroke only to screw it up. There’s many layers of sky on this painting and that’s definitely why I lost the orange under painting.

Also, Ive added a desolate landscape in the background. I didn’t want it to grab too much attention. This is intended to be a very moody painting, per my collectors request.

Next up, the rugged cross was painted in along with lots of grasses to show motion with the wind blowing. I’m really happy with how the grasses turned out. I’ve sketched in the flowers that will be clinging to the cross in the wind and just need to add paint.

Here’s the finished painting of Faith in the Storm. I was pleased with how it turned out. The flowers were loose and flowing, just like I envisioned. I just made them up and think they were just what it needed to complete the concept. So simple yet it says so much with the additions of the flowers.

If I wanted to elaborate on the flowers, they represent human frailty yet holding steadfast to faith during the storm. We may lose a few petals and may be scuffed up when it’s over but with faith, we endure.

I’m happy to say my collector was more than pleased. She told me she shed a few tears when I sent her a photo of the finished painting. That tells me I did my job well. I want my work to pull emotion from the viewer more than anything else. Thankfully, I accomplished that.

I do have note cards available in the shop of Faith in the Storm. I think they’d be perfect for sending messages of love, faith, sympathy and friendship.

This year, I’m really trying to focus on loosening up and painting more expressively. This painting was a great start. I have a floral painting on my studio wall now and I’m trying to capture that expressiveness that can be so elusive.

Having always been more of an illustrator before I started painting in 2009, details are something I enjoy adding so it’s definitely a challenge. But I’m up for the task!

Thanks for following along.

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Learn more about me on the ‘About’ page under the additional links menu. I’m an artist – a painter mostly and an avid gardener. I paint a variety of subjects including birds, koi fish, my gardens, ponds and flowers as well as anything having to do with nature especially trees and tropical scenes. I also enjoy painting abstracts and have started created more and more of them. My most favorite thing to try to achieve in my painting is is mystery and telling mystical stories.

If you would like to keep up with what I’m doing, I have a newsletter e-mailed about once a month that gives you special status for invitations, birthday greeting and more. I’d love for you to add your email to my Friends and Collectors list!