I’m sitting here late in the evening wrapping up a day’s work, serenaded by quiet yet heart-swelling music. Wearing a scarf of deep purple (a new favorite color), I feel rather writerly. I’ve always wanted to be a writer or musician. Throughout my young life I’ve wanted to be many things (architect, actress, cartoonist, animal rescuer, etc.). But the enthrallment with words and music has been there the whole time.

I’ve loved doodling all my life, but every now and then a transitory hope would rise in my heart that indeed, I had it in me to become the next sonnet-writing Shakespeare, the piano-trilling protege of renown. Hours of an afternoon would be spent deep in thought, daydreaming about my myriad ideas and all the possibilities. But somehow the conqueror spirit would leave me discouraged and the scrawled-on pages lost and forgotten.

It’s been a trouble for me, this bog of discontentment I sometimes find myself in. The Sovereign of the universe saw it fitting that He give me a particular gift, and I’ve spent countless hours wishing I had another.

A while back a saw this clip of Maurice Sendak (a famous children’s book illustrator) talk about what it means to be an illustrator: it has given definition to my frustration. Notice what he says 0:53 seconds into the clip. I remind myself of this anytime I feel discouraged about not being a writer:

(Please excuse the momentary curse—to avoid it, mute it from 2:01 to 2:05.)

So that’s what its been! “An illustrator . . . is someone who so falls in love with writing, that the closest he can get to it is illustrating it.”

I’m still slowly learning the how’s and why’s of using art to glorify my King, but it all begins with a thankful heart, praising the One who chose to give the gift.

-

Ever since I was a little girl, the color Purple has had me in a quandary. Have you ever felt that way with Purple? Where you just can’t quite put your finger on what it’s trying to tell you? It’s so tempting, yet so elusive. Well, I’ve been there. And I’ve grappled with the very issue of the enigmatic hue myself. So the other day I took the plunge. I bought a purple cardigan, spent an entire day wearing it, and by that night I figured out this whole Purple thing once and for all. Care to hear about my findings?

Here we go!

Each Color causes an emotional response. For example, Blue evokes a cool, calm peacefulness. Yellow can symbolize fear; Orange, anger; and Green, life. Pink implies weakness, softness, or femininity, while Red shouts passion, energy, ardor, and warmth. But what about Purple? In nature as well as the commercial world, you may have noticed that Purple is one of the least used colors. Why is this, and what does Purple mean, anyway? Before I go into this further, let’s take a quick look at color theory.

When looking at any single primary color, it communicates a solid, easy-to-read message. But combine two primary colors to make a secondary color and you get a slightly more complex message. (And of course Purple is a secondary color, a combination of Blue and Red.) All the other colors in between have even more discreet emotions.

So why is the color Purple so often passed over? I think it is because the specific emotion that Purple communicates is hard to pin down: juxtaposing Blue and Red, they communicate the most opposite and contrasting messages of all the colors.

If Blue is peaceful and calming, and Red is passionate and unceasingly energetic, then surely the union of these polar opposites would result in a clashing of ideas. It is a vacillating attempt to justify the equal strengths of Blue and Red. This delicate balance of mystery is what we find so enthralling: Purple is ultimately a fascinating suspension with no resolve.

All that from a wavelength of 400 nanometers, and a cardigan. :)

Being a Homemaker is a multi-faceted job. We want to learn new skills that will help us further our effectiveness in this ministry. But have you ever wanted to learn a new skill and not know where to begin? Have you ever wished you could fill in the “gaps” but were unsure as to how to go about it on your own? Well, let me tell you about the Autodidactic Homemaker. . . .

Continue reading at “Raising Homemakers”

Lucy and Tumnus by Pauline Baynes

May I say that I simply love black and white art work?  Especially Pauline Baynes’ pen-and-ink style.  Pauline Baynes (the illustrator for the original Chronicles of Narnia) has such a wonderful style; there’s much I could learn from her—not to copy, mind you, but to enhance my own style.

In this piece by Pauline Baynes I can see she has already slightly influenced my work; my “Tree House” comes to mind.  What I love most about her style I can’t say.  For starters, I love the fluidity and liveliness of it.  Her lines are living and breathing.   I can hear the clinks of the crude tableware, and smell the aromas of the earthy fare.

Secondly, you can tell the characters are her personal friends: they, too, are alive.  Thirdly, every detail is taken into account and utilized for the overall composition and aesthetic environment.   Fourthly, her cross-hatching.  I simply can’t get enough of her cross-hatching! It may have been this signature element of her work that first caught my eye and snagged my heart.

Even with color added, her work is simply wonderful.  After I’m finished working on my *current projects,* I will hopefully get to experiment with pen and ink again, of course with Pauline Baynes by my side.

crunch, crunch, crunch

“Feeding Baby Brother” © Breezy Brookshire

A quick sketch made while taking a break from drawing. Just can’t get away from it!

And I can’t wait to go to the beach.

Poem Copyright © Breezy Brookshire 2010

Do I draw attention to myself, or am I humble and focus on exalting the Lord Christ Jesus?  Do I live to please myself, or do I live to please God?

I am so thankful that I can see the continual work of the Lord in my life; His gentle guiding, and even chastisement for those He loves.  Yet I also see so many things that I fail in.  At times I despair at ever reaching the other side of the hill.  But He is always there to cheer and comfort me, show me His mighty deeds, and whisper His promises to me in His Word.  The love and joy and peace He fills my heart with can only come from Him.

“I am not what I ought to be. I am not what I wish to be. I am not what I hope to be. Yet I can truly say I am not what I once was. By the grace of God I am what I am.” —John Newton

(Remember to click on the post title to leave a comment)

“Gathering Potatoes” by Jules Bastien-Lepage, 1879

One of my latest favorites quotes comes from Charles Bridges in his sermon,
“The Virtuous Woman Described”—

“Her personal habits are full of energy. . . .  Self-denial is here a main principle.  The virtuous woman goes before her servants in diligence, no less than in dignity, imposing nothing on them which she had not first bound upon herself, ruling her household most efficiently by the government of herself.” (emphasis mine)

Continue reading over at Raising Homemakers.

But there’s something interesting that these women also have in common:  They were not taught how to care for a family and run a household.  They were not raised to be keepers at home.  And now these women are dedicated to giving their daughters the skills they had to learn on the job.

So , it is with great joy I’d like to announce a new website called . . .

Raising Homemakers

This website is the brain child of my sweet friend Sarah Mae who has a heart for equipping women to be all that God has called them to be.  In Sarah’s own words, Raising Homemakers “is dedicated to inspiring, teaching and blessing mothers who have an interest in raising their daughter in godliness and preparing them in the arts of homemaking to the glory of God.”

So get ready to join us as we roll up our sleeves and get busy!