They came up with some fun stuff! We had puppy dog bones, and unicorns, and tractors and lollipops! One of my favorite things to do is watch a child's imagination be ignited.
There is an art to science. I think it because the God who made everything has a beautiful design that works out scientifically and mathmaticaly. So, I was excited when S.T.E.M turned into S.T.E.A.M to let art have it's place. When the elementary school asked me to do a table for their STEAM event I decided to use my repurposed show as inspiration and bring all of the colored lids that I have been saving for a year! The kids got to use their imaginations to upcycle lids and plastics that would have been thrown away.
They came up with some fun stuff! We had puppy dog bones, and unicorns, and tractors and lollipops! One of my favorite things to do is watch a child's imagination be ignited.
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Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant… 1 Corinthians 13:4 I read this in a children's ministry devotional today... "Love is patient. It waits on the truth and waits for others. It does not get angry easily. Love is kind. It loves others without expectation and looks to the interests of others. Love does not become jealous for what others have or what you do not have. It does not brag about talents or material things. There is no arrogance in love. It does not assert authority or superiority over others who seem weaker." ------ I am bad at benefit of the doubt. I tend to read people based on my first impression, or their attitude and continue the relationship with them based on the assumptions I first made of them. I don't even think about trying to love someone unless they pass the initial impression of whether I can trust them. That's me protecting my heart, but it is also me being judgemental and critical sometimes. I like to think that I am a pretty good judge of character, because my first impressions always seem to be "right" as the relationships play out. But, the thought occurred to me, did I think I was right about them because that one flaw is all I ever saw in them? If I focus on the one flaw in someone, I will miss all the other good things about them. My husband is better at seeing someone's bad attitude and saying, "Maybe they had a really bad day." I think I need to get in the habit of wondering, not assuming, "I wonder why they think that way?" Because there is always a reason, and it probably has to do with their story. Everyone acts in a way that makes sense to them. (even if it actually IS a bad reason or evil intentions etc.) Jesus was good at going right to the heart. He would meet someone and He actually knew their heart, so he would speak right to them where they were at. He always had the right question to ask, to get someone thinking about their own motives. I don't have the luxury of omniscience. I have to rely on the Holy Spirit to nudge me toward someone. I often pray last minute prayers of, "Give me words, and give me ears to hear." when entering into hard conversations with people. I realized today that I have gotten into the habit of surface relationships. In person and online I spend just a half second scrolling past someone, glancing at their stats, their profiles etc. instead of sitting down with them and offering the gift of time. I have become impatient and jumping to quick conclusions makes me unkind. Surface reads make me envy other's lives, comparing memes and screen shots leads to boasting and skimming articles leads to arrogance, thinking I know something because I read about it... briefly, ...ok, I just saw a meme and a photo about it. ...And that is the opposite of the love God tells us to show. So, how? How do I do this? Love people patiently, kindly with grace? Online it looks like responding to a post with, "Tell me more about why you chose to post this?" in a private message instead of assuming I know their motives. In person it is pausing, with eye contact and asking, "Help me understand where you are coming from." and waiting patiently for them to answer, listening and trying to understand before I talk. Only after I have listened, have I earned the right to speak into someone's life with my perspective or my story, or even hard truth they need to hear. These things take time, and an enduring patience that can only come from God's love. It is motivated by a desire for real relationships with mutual respect. So, even in instances where I have authority over a person, (like my children) I have to take a breath and bring my patience first before I reprimand. These phrases (in bold) have saved many conversations and friendships in my life! I am still not great at patient love, but I am learning. Have patience with me in the process!! Hey, thanks for joining my journey, Deborah King After thinking and praying about it for months, I finally decided my word for the year will be "today." I have felt an urgency lately in my spirit to make the most of my moments. I have always been an activator, a get r done kinda gal, but with the pandemic and all of the uncertainty around me I feel a pull to do God's work with all my might "making the most of every opportunity." The women's group at fresh encounter had Deb Hastert, a photographer and designer in our church, lead us in an activity. We got to pick out photo letters and make a hanging sign. Each photo envoked different emotions and ideas and it took me a while to decide. But I love the way it turned out. I have a photo of a hammer, a clock, a welcome mat, a playground and a rake to spell the word "today." A hammer- to remind me to focus on what is in my hand to do at the moment. A clock- to remind me to make the most of my time. A mat- to inspire hospitality, using my home as a place of rest for others. A playground - because my kids won't always want to stop and play there. Soon they will drive past the park on their way to work and it will hold no wonder for them anymore. (Sniff!) A rake- because (sigh) there ARE chores to do. Cleaning up the messes is helpful ...and seasonal. A tidy yard/space makes for better play and rest there later. The first image is one I just gravitated to... It is a heart shaped planter with a key hanging from it. It just seems to have dirt in it at the moment, but who knows what seeds are in there waiting to grow? I am planting these images like seeds. Whenever I do dishes or make dinner or grab a snack in the kitchen I will see these reminders... Because i can't live in the past or the future all I ever really have for sure is today, this moment. I want to make it count. Do you have an image, a photo, a painting in your home that helps you focus your mind on something positive? I'd love to hear about it, or see a picture in the comments! Thanks for joining my journey! - Deborah King
What do you do with a ripped canvas? or a bunch of old lids, an old coffee filter? Ask God for a way to redeem them and viola! a new piece of art!
There are so many things around us that are beautiful, things we choose to throw away! Even after these common items have been used for their original purpose, they can pivot and become part of something new! Looking around lately, I have found beauty in brightly colored lids, remnants of paint on my pallette, stains that have crept up the sides of the coffee filter. These things find a new purpose when their beauty is discovered! Sometimes I think I need to be re-purposed, to find new meaning and direction when I feel stuck in my old ways of looking at and doing things! God, show me the beauty in every castaway.... you and I can make beauty from ashes together! Check out my new series called "Re-purposed" on this site. You can see these new pieces in person on NOVEMBER 5th at Due North in Harlan for the Forgotten Artist show. There will be two other artists showing in the Due North Shop, Leasa Thompson's pottery and Joel North's Leather goods. The Brick Wall gallery will also be filled with artists showing their work... so come make a day of it and do some Art shopping! Thanks for joining my journey! -Deborah King p.s. - What do you think would be something interesting to re-purpose into something beautiful? Let me know in the comments.! The paint party at Due North was so fun! I got to share some of my brush stroke and layering techniques and everyone went home with an original sunflower painting that they created. Each painting was different and had it's own style and feeling to it. I love to see the originality and creativity flowing! It was hosted by Due North, a women's boutique shop in Harlan with a coffee bar. I got my favorite steamer and got to paint with some new friends, so it was a win win! If you would like to book a paint party at your location contact me here. I'd love to help you provide a fun, creative event for your guests. Join me for a Painting party at Due North Shop in Harlan. THIS SATURDAY - June 25, 4-6pm click here to Sign up quick... its in a few days! We will be painting a sunflower together. There are so many reasons I love sunflowers! They are such a bright picture of summertime, big and cheerful. They bow their heads at night and follow the son through the sky throughout the day and they are the national flower of Ukraine, so when I see them, I think about praying for the conflict there. This painting just reminds me of summertime! The bright blue, and the leaf ended up looking like a baseball glove (can you tell we have baseball on the mind here?) I was so tempted to paint in a baseball flying into it! A little lady bug is hanging out on the leaf enjoying some shade!
I was invited to show my paintings as a vendor at Art in the park in Harlan, IA last weekend. But, I felt like I would rather see people engaging with art than do sales. So I decided to do an interactive art exhibit! Pixel art is something that is popular right now, so I made a large pixel art interactive board out of pool noodles! People could rotate them to create their own designs. I also had a display showing how pixel art started thousands of years ago as people worked with mosaic tiles. Pixel art is a lot like pointillism, where artists like Seurat used different colored dots that overlapped to create images. These were the first images using dpi (dots per inch) without a computer! Also using the concept of "pixels" can be seen in Native American bead art. So along those lines, we did bead art creating animal key chains out of beads. We used patterns and wove them together with string. My son (who loves all kinds of arts and crafts) helped me make key chain examples and patterns to sell. He helped teach the kids how to make them also. It was exhausting, but so rewarding to see the kids working with patterns and enjoying the process! Thanks for joining my journey, -Deborah King Stay tuned for my next paint party! It will be June 25th at Due North. Recently I got to be a judge for the high school art fair, and do a presentation to them about my work. That was nerve racking! Teens have a way of making me feel old and out dated! One of the teens asked if I had ever done a really famous logo. I told them that I live in a small town and have mostly worked with businesses in the area. Although I have had the privilege of doing long distance graphic design over the internet for clients in other states the bulk of my work is fairly local. That made me feel a little small, but on my drive home (all 4 blocks) I passed my library mural and 2 businesses using my logo designs. Driving through neighboring towns, I can spot some of my work also. I can also spot signs that Nextgen creations has made, some of which I got to help with. My latest logo design actually was for NextGen Creations, a company that makes custom furniture and signs for businesses, as well as other wood and resin items. Shane does exceptional work, very good quality pieces, and I really enjoy working with him. Maybe, when this company takes off and goes international I can say that I designed a world famous logo! In the meantime I'm trying to bloom where I have been planted, and I am leaving my mark on my corner of the world by making my skills available to the people around me. Part of living in a community is pitching in, helping out and being there for others. In a way, these small towns are a microcosm of the whole world; We need each other and the world doesn't work if we aren't all doing our part. Everyone has something to offer. My teenagers have youth, strength and energy, and I am so excited to see them offering that to help clean at church, move someone after a house fire, and do yardwork and odd jobs around town. Sometimes they even get to experience the joy and pride of earning a wage for a job well done. They are learning how to contribute! It makes me think of the old Petra song (dating myself again) that says ... "I know that my ability Is not Your main concern It's my availability And willingness to learn" This was my favorite song, and I sang it with abandon when I was 8 or 9 as I was making my commitment to give God everything and live for Him. What do you have to offer the world? Time? Prayer? A helping hand, a listening ear? A special skill? Sometimes what is needed is just someone to volunteer to take out the trash or pick something up for someone, carpool some extra kids to help a family who can't afford gas right now! You never know what may happen when you put yourself out there, and make yourself available! God may use you to do some amazing things! Thanks for joining my journey, Deborah King I do not like spending money. On anything really. When I am at the store I agonize about "do I really need this? Where am I going to put it? Do I deserve this? Is it a great deal?" and then I put it back on the shelf and feel victorious over temptation. But, living in a small town, I am beginning to see money differently. When I know the person behind the counter has put love and time and energy into bringing their best, it makes me want to contribute to their success. So now, from time to time I spend $4 on a coffee that I barely like to drink, (its not bad coffee, its the best I've had, I just don't love coffee) because I was there mostly to go talk to a friend and support their business. Also, now the shoe has now been on the other foot. Now I know what it is like to sit in an empty building with my heart hung on the walls, waiting for someone to walk in to hear my stories. I have done a little happy dance as someone has walked out with one of my paintings wrapped up and ready to hang in their home. Recently, I went into an art show of some artist friends of mine determined to find something to buy. As I looked through all of their beautiful things, I still had to wrestle through wants and needs and gift ideas. Then I saw something that I really liked. I don't know why I liked it, but it spoke to me and it made me think. I justified buying it by thinking it would be for a friend, and when I got it home I got it out and looked at it. There was something about the little photograph, something that stirred in me. I took down an old wall hanging that said "Live Laugh Love," that I hung only because it matched the decor, and replaced it with the little treasure I had found. As I did that I realized why people buy art. It's not because it matches the couch, or fills up a corner, it is because it means something to them. Finding a piece of art that has a thread of connection to something my heart longs for is a beautiful thing. I will think about that, and the artist that made it every time I see it on the wall. I want my artwork to connect people to God's heart, to draw them in and bring them joy. I hope they hear the voice of the Spirit stirring in them when they look at my work, and that it makes them want to get to know God, the artist behind all creation! The best part about this is that I couldn't put my finger on what was so familiar about this piece. It said "Higher up and Higher in." So I texted the artist, Katie Sandquist and she told me it is a quote from the Chronicles of Narnia! Which happens to be the whole theme of my bedroom! Now I know exactly where it will hang. It is perfect. Thanks for joining my journey! -Deborah King p.s. Checkout the art "hung on the walls" of this website, and let me know if anything speaks to you! I'd love to hear what pieces you like and why! |
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AuthorDeborah King, ARTIST! Categories
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May 2024
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