Morning doodle devo

Starting to settle in to my new home. Yep, we moved. Packed up our dreams, socks and undies and here we are, in the ever Enchanting land of Enchantment- México Nuevo. Albuquerque to be specific.

So im sitting here in my studio overwhelned with gratitude for a studio and really for this life.

Thought i d share my interactive doodle devotional. John 8:12. Good God stuff peeps.

Freedom Riders Found A Home

Remember a few posts back, that painting I held the brush on about the Freedom Riders of the civil rights movement? Well, our family is currently 2 weeks out from moving from our current home in Birmingham, AL to Albuquerque, NM.  As we pack up, I felt strongly that this painting did not need to move with us.  It needed to stay in Alabama. It's supposed to be a reminder of both the story of the freedom riders as well as the hope for a better future. But i had no idea where it should go. After a few unsuccessful efforts of my own to find it a home, I decided to do what i should've started with- Pray. Pray that God would find a place for it. God decided to work thru a new but faithful God-listener of a friend, Heather. Unbeknownst to me, God had convicted her to help find a home for this painting she had seen once in my garage. She hooked me up with the SPLC.

Today, my painting is in the possession of the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama! 

http://www.splcenter.org/civil-rights-memorial

In a truly humbling "field" trip, Heather and I packed up our kids & headed to  her hometown of Montgomery, AL.

The SPLC's Civil Rights Memorial Center. 

This striking & interactive  fountain designed by same designer, Maya Lin, as the Vietnam Veterans memorial in DC. Dash and I are reading some  important dates of civil rights movement off of the fountain.

One of my favorite parts of the whole day! Hands down!

 I was presenting the Director, Lecia Brooks, of the Civil Rights Memorial Center with the painting and Dash spoke up. He starting explaining to her what the painting meant. The more she asked him questions about it, the more my heart swelled with pride.  He knew. He understood. He explained why there was a bloody hand as a part of the flag- that it represented the people who had died fighting for the freedom of others. He knew. He explained that the faces on the bus weren't just black or white or just men or women. That both black and white and men and women fought (& can continue to fight today) for justice. He explained how the portraying of a future hope of integration and peace was not only for the future on this world. He pointed to the cobbled street of gold and said, "That is the golden streets of heaven". He knows. Such a proud Mama moment. 

Moses, beamed shyly when Lecia asked about the angel (bottom left corner). A year earlier he had been the one to inspire me in drawing an angel in the painting. Here's him with one of his angels.

I feel honored & excited. I'm sure God has found a home for it much better than i would have. 

On the way home that day, my 4 yr old daughter, Elle said, "Mama wherever they hang your painting, I hope God teaches people with it." Talk about out of the mouth of babes.

I hope that we can one day See " Justice flow like a river & righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." -MLK & Amos (5:24)

And I hope that our children will grow, following Jesus as they live out peace, justice, mercy and brotherly love in this world. 

Sketchings from Paradise

Three months ago, at the end of September, the hunky, humble and ever patient love of my life & I celebrated 10 years of marriage.
It was ten years ago that we had miraculously fallen in love & agreed to love each other for the rest of our lives. I say miraculously, because if you didn't know us way back when you wouldn't know how incredibly shocked everyone was the Steve Daugird & Carlye Clark were dating nevermind, getting married. We are a bit different from each other, to say the least.
We had a lot of love to grow into and by the grace of God we learned to interpret each other's communication a bit. Then we survived, I mean enjoyed, 3 babies worth of memories & sleepless nights. There were challenges and trials, some of which brought us to the point of desperate need for our faithful Savior & Lord. There were years of joyfilled laugter & livin on love, loans & the good Lord's provisions. There were many memories which cocooned us metamorphasizing us into who we are today; two grace-given, flawed people who love each other & know how to love each other so much more than the day we walked down that grassy aisle.
And so, we had a lot to celebrate!
My partner & best friend of 10 years knew that we had a lot to celebrate. So, he worked extra shifts & secretly planned for months to whisk me off my feet, once again, but this time quite literally on an Anniversary vacation like none other. A return to our honeymoon port, Cancun, Mexico. This time, to La Isla Mujeres.
After many years of diapers, scheduling, more lessons in communicating, parental duties, all amidst the often raucously booming noises of childhood & parenting (so, only a little yelling), this week long, tropical sabbatical was just what the doctor ordered. Heavenly, in fact.
Sitting on the beach, under the palm trees, well rested, not a care in the world, surrounded by the sounds of tropical bliss I did what any art inclined soul would do.
I sketched.
Hope you enjoy the peace inspired sketching of a wife celebrating.

Freedom's Ride

Once in a while i will go to bed and dream a painting. Normally once dreamt, if I don't paint it soon after, the painting is gone. Several months ago, I saw a documentary piece on the Freedom Riders. Worth the watch. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/freedomriders/watch
It hit me. Hard...in a good way. I dont pretend to be an expert on the history or future of race relations in the United States or anywhere but i do know it matters. The justice, courage and truth of those riders, white and black, women and men. Their acts of bravery and brotherhood through peace turned violence by other's hatred and fear. This is a story worth knowing if you don't. History and our future hope- both- have so much to teach us.

This piece was different. I dreamt of this piece. Didn't have the chance to paint it and kept dreaming of it over and over.
I had a huge canvas that a friend had given me. Thanks Kelly.
I was torn about what to paint on it. Art sales are slow in this economy so it would be been practical for me to paint a large flower or landscape, but this dream piece kept haunting me. So I said, ok God, I ll paint it. Please speak truth through it. So my prayer is that God will speak truth, justice, hope, peace and reconciliation through it.

This piece will be my first Multi-Media piece to exhibit & enter into a juried show. I applied and made it into the Birmingham Art Association Juried Show
Reception: Thurs., November 15,2012, 5-8 pm
Exhibit will only be up Nov. 15-17

at Christopher House Antiques
3205 2nd Ave. South,
Birmingham,AL 35222

Wet paint

Fresh off the Easel. Paint is still wait. For your viewing

Highland Thistle
Acrylic/ antique frame
15 3/4 x 19 with frame
For sale.