New Book Cover Painting

"Fearless Heart" by Gail Cauble Gurley

Artwork by Jeremy Sams

Gail's new book Fearless Heart has been released by World Castle Publishing. Here's a little tid bit about the book:

The Blairs are stranded in New York after the market crash of 1929. Robert walks to the river docks each day, seeking work to feed his wife Ellen and their four year old son Stephen and pay the $8.00 rent for the slum in which they live. Their faith and courage are tested as they struggle.
 He provides a small Christmas for his family but then the dock work shuts down and he is desperate to find work of any kind.
 He is approached by a stranger who will direct and influence the Blairs in a startling manner. He is jolted by events that promise to turn his life asunder, shaking the foundation of the person that he is. He is in an unknown world, given information of which he has never dreamed. Will they be opportunities or burdens? Will he be able to marry his life to this new direction or will he abandon a life so different from any he has ever experienced? He has his family’s and friends’ support as he struggles with the shocking torrent of choices he is given to make.
Fearless Heart has gentle, colorful, believable characters who touch the heart and raise the spirit. It is truly a feel-good work.
Order online at worldcastlepublishing.com. Click on Available Titles. Use code UYTQJ2F9 at checkout for 20% discount. Also available at Amazon.com. Order the e-book from Barnes and Noble.

Printed book $10.99, e-book $5.99. Suitable for all readers.  Check out the author’s website www.scribesvalley.com .

Little Country Church Painting

This is a commissioned painting that measures 18x24, acrylic on canvas.

Legacy Gardens Plein Air

Legacy Gardens

8x10 acrylic on masonite

Today, I was privileged to be invited to paint with the fine artists of Piedmont Outdoor Painting Society. The location of our paint out was Legacy Gardens located on Burlington Rd., Greensboro, NC. This was a beautiful little place that was well worth the trip to see the blooming flowers, lilly-ponds, sunlit paths and garden decorations. The early morning shades made for a great place to paint. However, when the sun moved my shadows, the sweat began to roll. Standing, facing the blazing June sun can be very demanding. Demanding in that it forces me to paint extra fast! That's another good reason to make sure you have plenty of fluids and a good hat when you paint outdoors.

Contact me for pricing or ordering information. Thanks to the ladies at POPS for allowing me to paint with them. They are very talented artists and I'm eager to see their finished products.

God's Perfect Will or God's Permissive Will?

What child doesn't like playing with play-dough? Many pounds of play-dough have been ruined here at the Sams' house from my daughter's love and neglect of this pliable medium. Maybe she'll be a potter or a sculptor one day.
In high school, I once tried putting my hands to the potter's wheel. I had these plans in my head of the exact pot I would make. It would have a large bowl area at the bottom, a tapered more narrow neck opening up to a wider spout with a little dip in the top for pouring liquids. As much as I could envision the final product, my hands and my inexperience prevented this work of art from coming to pass. As much as I loved getting dirty, I found out rather quickly that my artistic area was painting. So, I made a few ashtrays to accompany my leaning pots and called it quits.

However, in the bible, we have typologies and references to God as being the Master Potter. You can rest assured that this Master Potter is unable to make mistakes or have (as the PBS artist, Bob Ross would call) "happy little accidents". This brings us to question our understanding of God's will and His purpose. Does God have a permissive will which is separate and distinct from His perfect will? Or, is God's permissive will one in the same as God's perfect will? In a practical sense, does God, as the potter, begin forming a pot with a planned piece in mind (God's perfect will) only to have something go wrong...then, He changes His plans to form it into something else (God's permissive will)?

Portrait of Charlie

Charlie

16x20 acrylic on canvas

This portrait was commissioned by Archdale's author and writer Mrs. Gail Gurley. You might remember her name from "Red Dirt Rising", a movie which is based on her book, "Red Dirt Tracks". Here's a brief description of Charlie from Gail, his grandmother:

Pvt. Ronald Charles "Charlie" Peters, Jr., of the U. S. Marine Corps graduated from Taylor High School in Katy, Texas, class of 2010. He joined the U. S. Marine and completed his boot camp in April 2011 at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, Ca. He is in the school of infantry attached with Company G, 3rd Platoon, Camp Pendleton, Ca. He will attend Communications School at Twenty-nine Palms, Ca., and will then be assigned to a permanent base. He is the son of Denise Gurley of Katy, Texas and has a brother and sister. His brother Spencer is 17 years old and sister Madison is 13. He is the grandson of Ed and Gail Gurley of Archdale, N. C.

Thanks Gail, I hope you and your family enjoy the portrait.

Strawberry Fields Forever

Strawberry Field

16x20 acrylic on canvas

I can't help but think of that old Beatles song, "Strawberry Fields Forever" when viewing this painting. This was painted from a plein air study that I painted one day last week while watching my daughter, Eliora, pick strawberries at Ingram's Farm near High Point and Archdale, NC.

This painting is currently in the Randolph Arts Guild's 29th annual juried art show hanging at the Sara Smith Self Gallery in the Moring Arts Center in Asheboro, NC. The opening reception is June 7th, 5:30-7:30 pm, everyone is invited.

Pisgah Covered Bridge and Sanctification

Pisgah Covered Bridge

10x8 acrylic on masonite

June 3rd's paint out with Plein Air Carolina was held at Pisgah Covered Bridge in Randolph County, NC.

This was a challenging scene of which at several times during the painting, I thought maybe I bit off more than I could chew. After searching for the perfect set up spot, I finally found this angle in the middle of the creek. I set my tripod up on a big rock and commenced to paint. Wow, was there a lot of subject matter or what! It's so easy to get distracted by the details that you forget the big picture...this was my struggle here. I had to force myself not to spend too much time on the background foliage and not forget the foreground reflections.

This was one of those paintings that really stretch you as an artist...it may not seem so complicated while viewing the finished product, but I can assure you there was much struggle in getting there. You know, that kind of reminds me of our process of sanctification as believers. When you look at some of the older matured saints, we may have the tendency to view them as being pieces of God's artwork molded with tender grace and simplicity...their conforming to Christ's image was an overnight success!...while viewing ourselves (as works in progress) as receiving God's harsher treatments and having to endure things no-one else has endured. It's as if we say the previous saints had it so much easier and boy, do we have it tough. However, we must remember that we're viewing God's work (older saints) as nearly completed works. We don't get to see the process of struggle they had to endure to be conformed to the image of Christ. So, let's not despise God's processes of sanctification but embrace these struggles knowing that a piece that is struggled with, in the end, is highly favored.

Plein Air Carolina will have the opening reception of their "Glimpses of Carolina" plein air art show at Railwalk Gallery in Salisbury, NC, Saturday, June 11, 1-5 pm. The exhibit will run through June 30th. Everyone is invited to attend.