Posts

“Ferocious” Painting Process

/0 Comments/in , /by

Just wanted to share some of the behind the scenes process photos of how I create a painting. These are from last year (I was at my parents house in Kansas).

 

A good day of painting always starts for me with some good reference photos and a delicious cup of coffee.

IMG_9282

 

Next comes roughly sketching out an idea – with lots of little scribbly help from the kiddos (an excellent place for them to help since all this gets covered anyway)

 

 

IMG_9287

Also usually need some live modeling from Tim…

IMG_9283

Refining the sketch…

IMG_1478

 

Painting everything in black and white only to “set values”

IMG_9291

Adding first collage elements and color (plus fixing some elements).

IMG_9293

More color…

IMG_9307

And more… teal and zig zags eventually gets covered up.

IMG_9309

IMG_9463

IMG_9459And after the edition of lots of white and lots of fun scribbles from the kids, FINISHED!!

ferocious_large

Poem: The Day the Bravery Parted Ways

/0 Comments/in , , /by

The Day The Bravery Parted Ways
By Mariah Foster

You couldn’t rise from your bed after such a dead sleep,
Straightjacket sheets holding you together
So you don’t spill your guts;
Not that it’d be enough to fill the skeletons in your closet-
You can’t poach new pieces from the elephants in the room.
You’ve got to foster new growth,

Pull nutrients from the suck you are stuck in the tarpit of.
My love, it will always be too soon.
You won’t feel ready, but you need to
Grab life by the horns as you brace for more bucks.

Get up. Get up.

Get up on your day, on your feet,
On your desk- for perspective, yes, but also to
Prove you can still climb and find reasons to fall,
Fear of heights dulled by the pull of faith you leap with.
Skin to the wind, you finally got that shirt off your back.
Opportunity keeps knocking until your shell finally cracks.
Your wings are spreading, feathers full of glitter blood and ink,
Your razors are waiting, ready to cut your puppet strings.

You’re remembering:
All the right things are where you left them, and
You’ve been holy this whole time. There’s no more need for digging.
Cry just enough to clean your hands, the shovels;
Stop before you have to drop anchor.
Success is not sedimentary,
Satisfaction never achieved by settling.
Complacency is the enemy, and
Your strongest muscle has been strength training,
Drumming out war beats.
Your courage can no longer be caged by the ghosts of your sheets.

You are ready.
You are ready.
You’ve always been

Ready.

You’re up.

Poem: Good Morning on a Monday

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Mariah Foster is an amazing spoken-word poet in Greeley, CO.
Giants & Pilgrims requested to print one of the poems we’d heard her do on “bravery”. She sent the requested poem along with an original piece just for this Almanac as well! Enjoy these two poems here.<

GOOD MORNING ON A MONDAY
By Mariah Foster
You are beautiful.

I hope you know.
You are beautiful like renaissance paintings
Hung crookedly,
like silence in the morning,
up to blueberry coffee and harmony,
Sunsets falling east.
I’m talking beautiful like bad dancing, horrible dancing,
But you’re smiling and laughing…
It’s just beautiful.
And yes, I am talking to each and every one of you,
So little girl, don’t stop listening, I know
You’re preoccupied, trying
To rebuild broken bits of self-esteem,
But little girl, you are beautiful,
Don’t stop listening,

And little boy, don’t stop listening,
Don’t stop listening
Even if you’re afraid to be beautiful.
I promise you have the strength to be vulnerable.
I know
Because I know you.
Don’t you remember?
I was the star that shone the night you were born,
I was the heart worn on your sleeve.
I’ve been your love muddying convictions,
I’ve been the earth that washed you clean.
Little girl, don’t stop listening,
Little boy, don’t stop listening,
I’ve been the wind whipping,
Trees clawing at your window,
But don’t let it be so frightening.
Don’t let me be so frightening;
I was just reminding,
Just reminding,
I hope you know.
Don’t let it be so frightening,
And don’t question me when I tell you that you’re beautiful,
I know.
Don’t question you when you tell you that you’re beautiful.
I hope you know.

Little girl, I will mold your shattered self-esteem,
making a mirror, reflecting,
making a mirror, you’ll see,
You’ll see.
You’ll see, and I won’t need to say anything.
We won’t need to say anything.

Little boy, I will place the world on your shoulders
So you will realize you are strong enough to be vulnerable
You will realize you are strong enough to be beautiful.
Little girl, don’t stop listening,
Little boy, don’t stop listening
The world is whispering,
I am whispering
You are beautiful, You are beautiful.
We need to keep listening,
Always listening,
Keep teaching each other that we are beautiful,
Telling shouting screaming
We are strong enough to be vulnerable.
We are are strong enough to be beautiful.
We are strong enough to be beautiful,
To be beautiful,

To be beautiful.

To be beautiful is to be you.
I hope you know