Diane Constantine | Page 38 | sharing life lessons in words and art

Maple – Graphite and Color

Diane November 23, 2020 No Comments

Three years ago I started trying to capture Fall leaves on paper. They looked flat and uninteresting. I practiced in graphite, then colored pencils, and now in watercolor. This week I did a graphite study of these leaves first to see how to give them life. Though watercolors gave me even more flexibility than the graphite, I still really like the graphite study.

Do you ever wonder if you are growing in your faith and practice? I remember a time I told God I didn’t think I had changed at all and He showed me graphically. By the end of that day, I cried out, “What is wrong with me? Why have I been so horrible to my good friends?” In my heart, I felt the answer. “I let you live today, just like you used to be. Now do you see you have grown?”

God gives us many opportunities to practice and to grow and to change into His image of us. Just as with practice these leaves look more like the real thing, with practice our lives look more like the real thing God has planned for us.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. ” -Eph 2:10 (ESV)

Sassafras

Diane November 12, 2020 No Comments

As a Girl Scout, I learned about the Sassafras tree. All three differently shaped leaves grow on these trees. Many times, all three are on one branch, like this one. The root of these trees can be boiled to make a tea that tastes kind of like root beer.

A lesson from the Sassafras tree
Every family has characteristics that outsiders easily recognize as belonging to that family. Perhaps its coloring, eye shape, height, or the way they walk. Some talents are passed down through generations, too. But then every individual in that family has their own distinctions. Sometimes those distinctions make us feel like we don’t really belong to the family. Sometimes they make the other members uncomfortable or jealous. Like the Sassafras tree celebrates its variety of shapes, let’s enjoy each other’s differences. And as the Sassafras has a similar hue, let’s blend and enjoy being a family.

Fall Colors

Diane November 6, 2020 No Comments

Fall colors in America are one of the ways God restores my soul. They have always been something I looked forward to and feasted on while the season lasted. Since I can’t be there to see the colors this year, God has made it possible for me to create some colors and enjoy the Fall season at our home away from home.

These are my first practice of watercolor Fall leaves. I hope to do lots more of this type of painting as the season progresses. God made our eyes to be able to see a wide range of colors. I am so thankful I can see colors and I’m growing in my ability to match colors. What a delightful treat God’s beautiful creation is, even when it is getting ready to rest in shades of black and white.

Flower Practice

Diane November 2, 2020 No Comments

Yesterday I played. I usually strive for my art to be realistic. I’ve taken lessons from botanical artists and practiced seeing and showing the details accurately. This time I was just playing with my brush and colors. In a strange way, these are more accurate to the way we usually see the flowers around us. We don’t get out a magnifying glass to see each vein and nick of each petal. We see color and lovely curves.

Sometimes we fret too much about the details in our lives. Some may worry about their wrinkles and try to cover up the effects of time. Others worry about what they said and whether they offended their friend. There are those among us who need to organize their day and tasks to the minute.

Most everyone around us sees the overall picture. They respond more to our usual atmosphere of joy or sadness. They remember the things we did for them more than the exact words we said. Let’s worry less about the little things and not forget the important ones.

Desert Rose

Diane October 30, 2020 No Comments

These Desert Roses bloomed on one of our neighbor’s potted plants. The pot had the thick stem for quite some time with an occasional leaf. Then the first flower bloomed and the next day the second one did. They lasted just a few days and now the plant is back to just the big stem and a few leaves. I’m so glad we got plenty of reference photos while they bloomed. These blooms reminded me how most of our days are ordinary. We see green leaves and the foundations of our faith may be getting stronger, but not much color or special beauty in the ordinary. Then there is something special for us to do and we bloom. It may be for a long or short season. We don’t control that, but we should enjoy and share it. I’ve written about the ordinary on my blog. To see that post, click: Ordinary