Remember Missing Baby Jesus?

Remember last year when I wrote about how fitting it was that our baby Jesus went missing? Well I couldn't take it anymore and I decided upon myself to make another one. I was tired of looking at an empty "Jesus-less" manger. I know its simple and silly but I was tired of it! 

I can go into deep thoughts and reflect even more on what that means for me personally, in regards to my last post but I'll spare you that (for now) and just post the pics of the baby Jesus I sculpted.

reflections in Snow

"distraught" by laura yumang(link)

I think about the future; I live in the past; I dislike the present. Don't want to forget the past, can't wait for tomorrow but have a hard time living in today.
I want to change but I don't know how.

Waking up seeing the undisturbed snow reminded me that as the new year comes, its a clean slate. Time to restart and make new.

Seeing the etching (pictured right) reminded me that the only way through the shit is to look up, theres the solution to the maze we call life.

As the snow melts it reveals the same things that were there before. I hope as 2011 comes to a close I'm not left with the same things poking through that are poking through this year. Here's to a new year.

Sometimes the simplest things say the most.

Grrrr...

Over the past two weeks when I was NOT at a computer my mind was racing for blogs to post and what to write about.  Now that I'm at a computer (or rather have access to one) I am drawing a blank.  Maybe its time to set up mobile blogging...

revelations in 140 characters

One of my favorite past times, as of late, has seemed to be watching my twitter list refresh over and over again. Why? Because I'm pretty bored and have nothing better to do becasue I follow some pretty inspiring people and those people tweet pretty inspiring and encouraging things, be them quote or their own blog posts! (i follow some pretty awesome people)

But today, I was reading, and I came across this tweet

"When it comes to chasing a dream, don't confuse "can't" with "won't." Because chances are you can, you just don't."
       - @prodigaljohn

That really hit something in me; not in a negative way, more of an affirming way.

In a few weeks it will be one year to the day, that I have graduated from art school. One year... and what do I have to show? A small portfolio, living at home with my parents... the list could go on and on... but I'm generally a positive person (atleast I try to be) so I try not to complain about that stuff much.

but... I am going to vent a little today.

See what I don't say a lot, is I'm met with a lot of discouraging remarks that I hear through the grape vine or told to my face from some of the people I live with. To them (they either are happily unemployed, young, or have worked at the same position for years) it looks like I am just playing around on the computer, "oh look at him playing with art on the computer", look at that, he's on the computer again! Whats he do? Sit on facebook all day?" All of that is untrue. Most of the time I am job searching, making connections or in some cases doing client (read: getting paid to) work!! Its frustrating to say the least, to be met with such discouraging words. Looking in the newspaper isnt a viable way to find a job anymore (last time i looked, there was 5 jobs, two teaching jobs and three nurse jobs. None of which I am qualified for) but they don't understand that... so I give them a little forgiveness when it comes to thinking im just playing on the computer.

Back to the tweet... this was really affirming. I have a ton of negative energy directed towards me externally; but I also have a lot of my own insecurities about finding a job (its weird to me not working for a year, I've worked and/or gone to school since I was 15) but I've not lost my drive TO find work, I've managed to stay positive (we all have our down days) and continue to job search and just... not sit around doing nothing and not chase what i want( read: dreams)

fly away (WIP)

So I've slowly decided that I will bring this blog back to life, with art, quips, thoughts.  Whatever.  I guess just to let you guys know that I am actually alive and making art haha!

---

   This piece, that i'm currently working on, the inspiration comes from one of my favorite hymns (I'll Fly Away) and the David Crowder Song (Undignified).

As for what was the push to create this piece, a friend of mine sent me an email from a friend of hers asking for artists to create or submit artwork for a show at a church.  So I had been thinking of this idea for a while (i even sketched this out in a sketch book) but I just never got around to creating it and I had also been wanting to create a more "fine arts" type piece. I've been focusing on commercial work so much that my own work is falling behind a lot lately.  So voila!

This is obviously not finished but its a good start and I look forward to finishing and finaly getting this printed and submitted to the show!

Let me know what you guys think.

i know your there.
you keep reminding me.
i cant help but wonder.
if im here because.
i side stepped your plan.
in fear of failing.

Larger than life?

So they always say that childhood memories of places and things are often skewed in or mind.  We usually remember the items or places much bigger than that actually were.  I can understand that.  We were smaller. Physically.

What confuses me is how skewed something can get when we go from looking at it in person to looking at it on the screen. 

I've been recently looking at art blogs (regret saying this) anyway, I was looking at some old classmates blogs and of course they have links to other peoples blogs, as they should, so I follow a few links ,adn I noticed that upon viewing these paintings, prints and collages, a lot of them seemed to either, in my head, be much bigger or much smaller than they actually were.  Sure the image on the screen was only 3" x 5", I knew this, but in my head I either made them much smaller or much larger.  Never imagining them even remotely close to the right size.  Why?  I wish I knew the psychological reasoning why something seems to be much bigger or much smaller than they actually are?  Just a randome thought.

Today I was chatting casually on gchat with a friend of mine and I forget how we got on the subject, but I said that the only thing I think I would give up my artistic abilities for would be to be able to play music.  I guess that stems from love for music and how much music plays a part in my life, everything from artistic inspiration to worship. But anyway, a small discussion on how when we use the talents we have been given by God, thats when we feel closest.

Normally I am not a normally a biblical commentary kind of guy, but two days ago I just happened to glance through this one and as my friend and I continued our chat it resonated within me.  In the  commentary it made mention of how in the Hebrew language, names are more than just names, they have meaning.

"In the names given the first antediluvian (pre-flood) patriarchs from Adam to Noah God 'made known the end from the beginning.' His purpose is clear. Here is the list of names and their meanings:

Names--------------------- Meaning
Adam---------------------- Man
Seth------------------------ appointed
Enosh---------------------- mortal
Kenan---------------------- sorrow
Mahalelel------------------- the blessed God
Jared----------------------- shall come down
Enoch----------------------- teaching
Methuselah----------------- his death shall bring
Lamech--------------------- despairing
Noah------------------------ rest or comfort

Put them all together and the LORD says:

Man is appointed mortal sorrow. The blessed God shall come down teaching His death shall bring the despairing rest."

Right there through the names of the people... he has told the gospel story from start to finish, again, showing that he plans everything for a reason.

Not only does God give us unique abilities which lead to unique ways to worship him, he does that for a reason.  God has created everyone with their own purpose in life.  He has given us skill and countless ways that we can come before him and worship.  This cements the fact that God has created us to continually worship and honor him in all we do; be it playing music, using art, singing, writing, you name it, if it is honoring God and appealing to him then it was meant to be used as a form of worship.

Just like the names of the  antediluvian telling the story, that is no coincidence, the fact that we can worship God in so many different ways is no coincidence.  It proves that we're meant to worship him in every and all ways.

I need your help! Well you, me and your friend!

**illustration by Steve from spotillustration.com

the idea; Everyone has that one quote that a friend said to them.  Some are life changing, some are quirky and some are down right non sensical!

what i want; I want to see that quote... and that friend! I have this project that involves all of you!  I want you to email me ( michael . meulstee [at] gmail.com ) the quote and your favorite picture of that person (if you don't have one of the person, one of yourself will work also.)
The picture doesn't have to be the best quality, or even a good picture.  Just your favorite picture of them! If you want you can write something about this person or a back story of the quote or whatever you want that will help flesh out the quote.

what ill do; I'm then going to do a painting (most likely watercolor) of the photos you all send in, scan the paintings into the computer and through creative typography place the quote in the picture some how (this will all depend on the picture and the quote.)

what will eventually happen; I will submit this, once finished, to a print on demand printing company (ie, lulu or blurb) which then you, your friends and the whole world can buy a copy for yourself, I will be keeping the cost pretty cheap.

what you get; you get the original painting to keep or to give as a gift.

Please let everyone you know about this project, I'm looking to start soon!  I'm looking for about 15-30 portraits and quotes. I would love to get photos and quotes from people I do not know! It would be awesome!

I feel like all I post is depressing or deep things...

So. here is something a little whimsical. enjoy