Hollybrook Stables and Plein Air Carolina

The Lone Ranger

8x10 acrylic on masonite en plein air

I'd like to give a special thanks to Mrs. Joyce Metters for inviting Plein Air Carolina to come out and paint at her beautiful horse farm near Lexington, NC. Also, a special thanks to Plein Air Carolina for inviting me to come. It was a beautiful day and there was plenty of subject matter to capture.

Here's the scene I chose...of course, the shadows are totally different than when I began the painting. I also removed some of the fence posts I had painted in. I love my homemade pochade box, by the way.

Below are some of the other talented artists I had the privilege of painting with today...

Mrs. Joyce Metters

Mrs. Norma Owen

Mr. Rex White...view his blog.

Mrs. Sharon Forthofer...view her website.

Mrs. Rachel Lee also attended, but I wasn't quick enough to get her photo...maybe next time! You can view her website here.

Night of the Cossack

Night of the Cossack

Tom Blubaugh

cover art by Jeremy Sams

Night of the Cossack is finally available. I just received my personally autographed copy last week. It's pleasantly odd to see your work on the cover of a book, and I think it turned out nicely. You can purchase the book through Amazon. The book was published by Bound By Faith Publishers and written by Tom Blubaugh. If you're interested, you can review the book by reading the introduction along with the first chapter online.

About the Author: Tom Blubaugh

Tom Blubaugh, author of Night of the Cossack, is a freelance writer. He has written nonfiction most of his adult life. He resides with his wife Barbara in Southwest Missouri where he is currently writing fiction. Tom and Barbara have six children and fourteen grandchildren. In addition to writing, Tom loves macro photography.  He is president of Jericho Commission, Inc. Tom believes that retirement is about continuing to fulfill God's purpose.
Find out more about Tom and follow his blog.



To see the process of the painting, click here.

Psalm 29:11

The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.

9x12 acrylic on masonite en plein air

Tall standing oak trees are great examples of strength, even when the ground they're attached to is covered in thick thorns and briers. What a testimony this is to believers in Christ as well. God gives strength in the midst of adversity. When the circumstances that surround you seem as nothing but thorns and reflections of the curse of the earth, that's when these giant oaks become trophies of God's persevering strength that He gives to His people.

Psalm 23:3

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

9x12 acrylic on masonite en plein air

This is another scene that I painted Wednesday, April 6, at Creekside Park in Archdale, NC. The trees are just beginning to bud and the colors of these young buds are just brilliant. The warm sandy paths and moss covered rocks along the creek were the inspiration of this painting. The smoothness of the gessoe prepped masonite panel was a pleasure to work on in comparison to the Fredrix canvas boards that I usually paint on.

Psalm 118:19

Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the LORD: 

8x10 acrylic on canvas board in plein air

 

It's good therapy to get out of the house and out in the open field with sunshine, the smell of green grass, and a cool "breeze"...maybe "breeze" isn't the correct word for this painting trip that my wife and I took this past Monday, April 4. A more accurate word would be gusts. On several occasions, I had one hand on my pochade box, trying to prevent it from becoming a wooden kite, and the other on a paintbrush. Other than that, it was great to get out of the house with my little wife, Crystal.

From my wife, Crystal

Thank you all for your prayers and support. God has been so good to us and I still praise Him for the hardest time of my life. His love and His grace is holding us up. But, I just wanted everyone to know that we are so thankful for everything everyone has done. We love you all.

- Crystal Sams

Celebration of Life Service

The service will be at the graveside at Randolph Memorial Park at 2 pm on Saturday. We're asking everyone to bring their own chair so you won't have to stand the whole time. Thank you all for the love and prayers that you have all given. We are deeply appreciative. God is good.

He Being Dead, Yet Speaketh

What a beautiful sound to hear your baby's heartbeat on a monitor. But dreams become nightmares when all you hear is silence. For 40 weeks, we dreamed about our upcoming birth. We dreamed of what this child would look like and who's features he/she would have. We prayed even before the child was conceived that God would give us a little preacher boy. On March 29, 2011, God answered our prayers.

However, he's not your typical preacher boy. You see, the day before he was delivered, we found out through ultrasound that our baby had already gone home to meet his Lord. So, how does he preach?

His name is Zion Jeremiah Sams. The Hebrew root of the word Zion means waymark or sign. It was often used of an object or place to help people find their way. "Jeremiah" means of whom Jehovah has appointed. Of the Old Testament prophet, God said,

"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, [and] I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations."

My little preacher boy has already preached God's sovereignty and God's grace to people all over the world, literally. God's sovereignty is preached in the fact that his death was a sovereign act of our Creator. Job 1:21 says,

"...the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD."

 The Doctor and hospital staff had no explanation as to his death. He was a beautiful healthy baby boy. "There was nothing anyone could have done or done differently", the Dr. told us. This was unexplainable to man, but not to God.

Little Zion is preaching God's grace in the fact that the grace of God is presently encompassing my family.  Crystal and I spent much time alone holding our little preacher while watching the sunset, praising God, and rejoicing in His goodness. We are hurting bitterly. We weep...but not as those who have no hope. Our heart is broken, yet something strengthens us. My dear friend, Pastor Jeremy Varner gave me this verse that explains it so well, found in Psalm 73:26,

"My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever."

But, how does this happen? How can those grieving the loss of a child still have joy amidst the tears? How can a mother laboring to deliver a lifeless child raise her hands in praise as we listen to the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir sing Psalm 3? One small, beautiful, powerful word explains it: GRACE...God's undeserved, unearned favor and goodness.

I will post more later as this will be therapeutic for me. To God be the glory.

Skipping Class

"Skipping Class" is an 8x10 acrylic on canvas board, painted in plein air. I couldn't resist painting this group of college students while soaking up some rays at Hurley Park in Salisbury, NC. The spring colors were beautiful along with the cool breeze, so if this rowdy crew really was skipping class...I can't say that I blame them.

Thornburg Barn

This is a 9x12 acrylic on canvas board. The painting was done in plein air at the old Thornburg place on Lassiter Mill Rd. near Farmer, NC. I started painting at around 6:45 pm trying to capture the golden fleeting sunlight across the top of the barn and trees. This was a real struggle for me in a race against time to catch the mood of the scene before the sun hid itself behind the trees.

Homemade Pochade Box

First of all...what is a "pochade box"? In a nutshell, it's a small portable easel used to paint in the open air. It comes from the French word for "pocket". Since I've started painting in plein air, I've noticed the weight and bulkiness of my french easel while carrying it around. I have nothing against that easel...it's pretty cool with all the features on hand. But, why paint a small painting on a large easel if it's not necessary?

So, I did a little research and found a site with great instructions by Jim Serrett. Here's my finished product...well, almost finished:

Creekside Park Plein Air

This plein air painting measures 9x12 and was painted with acrylics on canvas board. The subject matter is "Muddy Creek" located inside of Creekside Park in Archdale, NC. It was nice to paint out where the public was passing by. I met several nice people who curiously wandered in to watch every now and then.

Southwest Park Plein Air

Sometimes you have to take the bad with the good. This 6x8 acrylic on masonite plein air painting was painted at Southwest Park in Guilford County, NC. This is by far, not my favorite painting.

Uwharrie River Plein Air

This plein air painting depicts one of my favorite childhood swimming holes. It's located behind my parents' house on the Uwharrie River near Farmer, NC. Many memories have been made here around these big rocks, from snakes, mud fights, and tree swings, to slipping in the mud and busting your rear...like I did yesterday. Don't worry, I didn't hurt the mud.

Saturday Night Painting

I painted this 8x10 Saturday night. My usual Saturday nights are consumed with study time for Sunday School at my church. Yeah, I know...some of you preachers will say, "Don't wait until Saturday to do your study!" But, I'm not one of those fortunate enough to be able to study as a full time job. So, my study takes place in my spare time. This past Saturday night, I was able to enjoy some painting time since Evang. Michael Grant would be teaching for me on Sunday.

New Premiere Pediatrics Mural

Premiere Pediatrics in Asheboro, NC now has a tropical beach mural to add to their collection of scenes. Dr. Wayne Connors is the pediatrician and the only male in the office...poor fellow. He desperately needs our prayers. Actually, he's surrounded by a good group of ladies dedicated to their profession, so they make a good team.

Wheatmore High School FCA

I'd like to say thank you to the Wheatmore High School FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) for allowing me and my wife to come this Friday morning to give a gospel presentation through art. Can you get the gospel into the public schools? Absolutely!

Tobacco Barn Painting en Plein Air

This is this morning's plein air painting. It's a 9x12 acrylic on canvas board.

Birth Freedom March

What an inspiring day it was yesterday in Raleigh, NC! My wife and I carpooled with our activist friends to the state capital to be a part of the "Birth Freedom March" hosted by North Carolina Friends of Midwives. It was a beautiful site to see so many families there to support the legalization of Certified Professional Midwives.

 design copyright by Jeremy Sams

In honor of this special day, Crystal and I sported our home-made homebirth shirts of which we had many compliments.

Open field en plein air

This is today's plein air painting. It measures 6"x8". This painting took about an hour and a half, which was surprising for its small size. One of my challenges is that I want to keep adding detail and smooth lines, etc...

Another challenge for me is that I automatically want to start with my background without drawing the composition out first. But, is there an exact formula for this? I'm sure there is, and I'm probably learning the hard way.

• problem #1... when I paint my whole sky in first, with no other drawing, the paint gets grey-ed out when I paint on top of it...so, I'll need to paint my composition in first.

• problem #2... the sun was out today and I had to keep adjusting my easel for the best light on my canvas. At first, it was completely in the shade while my eyes were looking into a sunny landscape. So, when I looked back at my canvas, I couldn't determine the colors. My eyes were constantly having to adjust.

So, I'm learning. Every day is a new experience.