Octopus and Night Sky

A couple of weeks ago, after hearing of the heartbreak of a friend in my neighborhood over his wayward son, I chose to paint an octopus as I reflected upon a promising quote that I had heard years ago about the influence of striving parents over their children.  I sent this little doodle to him with encouragement to continue to look for that "perfect brightness of hope" that can come to each of us through heaven.

Here's the quote that I referenced in his letter, and that tied into the little doodle that I sent off to him:

“The Prophet Joseph Smith declared—and he never taught a more comforting doctrine—that the eternal sealings of faithful parents and the divine promises made to them for valiant service in the Cause of Truth, would save not only themselves, but likewise their posterity. Though some of the sheep may wander, the eye of the Shepherd is upon them, and sooner or later they will feel the tentacles of Divine Providence reaching out after them and drawing them back to the fold. Either in this life or the life to come, they will return. They will have to pay their debt to justice; they will suffer for their sins; and may tread a thorny path; but if it leads them at last, like the penitent Prodigal, to a loving and forgiving father’s heart and home, the painful experience will not have been in vain. Pray for your careless and disobedient children; hold on to them with your faith. Hope on, trust on, till you see the salvation of God” (Orson F. Whitney, in Conference Report, Apr. 1929, 110).

Yesterday I made it home after a weekend of camping up on the Mongollon Rim in Arizona and was enamored by the night sky, when there was no other light but that of the stars.  The forest was quiet except for intermittent cricket songs and the breeze playing across the needles of the pines that towered above.  It was marvelous to just stand under the handiwork of God and gaze into the heavens, such solace!  When I got home yesterday, I painted this night sky, trying to recall the feelings of being under the starry sky.

Tentacles and Vines

Lately, I haven't been as prolific in my painting as I used to be.  The schedule was to knock out a friendly note and painted envelope to someone at lease once a week, but I have been a slacker, and have not kept up the pace.  Surprisingly, I've had a couple of people reach out and express frustration for not being able to get a "weekly fix" of the posting of what was painted from the week before.  Whoops....

Nonetheless, here are a couple of things that I've done in the "designer envelope" portfolio from the past couple of weeks.

As stated in a previous post, I have a good friend with which I correspond on a fairly regular basis.  We use snail mail, or regular post office, home grown, pen to paper communication.  But in an effort to keep all the correspondence in one place, we send a large sketchbook back and forth to each other with letters written to each other on it's pages.  I enjoy being able to go back and read what has been written previously, and it reads like a thoughtful conversation of counsel going back and forth between friends.

Almost a good as the written word inside, is the chance for me to paint on the package as it goes back and forth.  I used a quote about the "Tentacles of Divine Providence" in my last letter to my friend, which spoke about the ever reaching influence of Diety on our families as we strive to watch over and serve and love them.  Consequently, I thought it would be fun to decorate his package with a giant tentacle.  Here's how it turned out:

 So that is going to the post-office this week.

Also, I found out recently that a dear friend of mine from Rome, GA suffered a stroke and is currently recuperating at a health care rehabilitation center away from her home and her husband.  I feel sad at the struggle that she is facing, and the uncertainty of what lies ahead for her and her family.  I painted her this envelope and included a note about how I've been grateful for her good example, and how she has done so much to stay attached to the "True Vine" (See John 15:1).  I thought a little doodle of a vine would be a nice visual to reinforce the message.

This too, will have a trip to the post office this week.

 Both are done in gouache, with a small amount of inking.