About being able to stop

Lately I'm trying to learn how to stop. It's hard if you're a wired, introverted task person. I get a kick out of getting things done, and seeing tangible things develop before my very eyes. Hence, I create. It's probably not the most romantic, artsy argument you've ever heard, but sometimes I simply create because I can't wait to see something new, that wasn't there before. I treat myself harshly sometimes, I push myself deep into the night to get projects done.

For why? For what? Simply because I am addicted to seeing my time being spend as efficient as possible? And what makes time spent efficiently? Why do I look back at yesterday and feel satisfied to think that I got a project done? Am I the only one? Is there something wrong with me?

Don't get me wrong, it's not that I am neglecting my wife or family for the projects. But I am often occupied with them. And lately I am discovering how lovely it is to rest. To just sit on the couch and read a book seemed almost unthinkable to me, but I am doing it, and I am loving it.

I'm thinking about this, because my body and my mind was telling me to make a 7th Europe painting, simply because at some point I decided I should make 7. And even though my last painting (of Holland) was an euphoric moment for me, and a perfect ending point, I decided to keep going and make a 7th painting of London. But the honest truth is I'm tired of the Europe paintings, and I have about 67 ideas in my head for new paintings, and I want to go away from the impressionistic painting style, as it is not necessarily my style.

So I'll stop. The Europe Series is complete, and I am satisfied.

New Mascot

This is a greyhound mascot that I've made a while ago, for Loyola College in North Baltimore. Here is a short news video, introducing the new mascot for their basketball team!

Click here to see the video

And here's a photo taken from my work booth.

Europe Series Painting No.6

I thought it to be fitting to end my Europe Series with a painting that describes the place most precious to me in all of Europe: the little North Sea beach where I grew up in in 's Gravenzande, the Netherlands.

Hope lives in this man

A few days ago I was reading the Bible and writing some stuff down when I stumbled upon a poem that I had written a few years earlier. It struck me, because it seemed to fit very well with a painting that I have been working on the last few days: Europe Series Painting No. 6, which is the final piece of the series. I've polished up the poem a bit. The poem might seem sad to you but in fact it isn't. I wrote it when I was in a situation that the poem talks about. But it doesn't end there. I believe in pain, I believe in hardships, I believe in loneliness. They exist not for our pleasure but they make our character grow and our faith show. Everyone meets these circumstances in life but we're not to flee from them, avoid them or drug them. Anyhow, here's the poem with a fragment of my new brand spanking new painting. The beach scenario is in 's Gravenzande, the little town in the Netherlands where I grew up and spent countless precious nights on the beach, thinking, praying.



Hope lives in this man

I’ll live again, those glory days
I hear the words, from high above.
They shine below, with glowing rays.

Words of hope and words of time
In which I hope and pray for ways
To capture them and make them mine.
And let them live my daily days.
Free to hope, free of despair
And praying loud to make them breathe
To fill me up with air.

I’ll live again, those glory days
Star of hope stand firm
And please move not.

Desperation rides along and finds me on its path,
But shine o mighty star and let me know to know
Those glory days will come again,
And I will find and seek myself
To stay and stand and seek the words
That tell me that I will
Live again, those glory days.

This is my chance to show.
Hope lives in this man.

Poem

This is a short poem I wrote that has something to do with finding what we need to do outside of ourselves.

Painting of Jessie

This is a painting that is based on a drawing I made of Jessie last week. Throughout the week I felt there was something wrong with my drawing, so I drastically covered up parts of the drawing to find out what didn't make sense. Eventually, I think it was the hair. So I took a jigsaw, and cut some huge pieces off the wood I was painting on.

Sometimes you need to eliminate to create.

This would actually work as a CD cover, if Jess ever records an album... 

Little animation

I spent most of today working on a small animation for our new church series about relationships. The idea for it came from Shawn, or Sara. The series is starting tomorrow, on Sunday the 18th. Visit here for more information.