A Frozen Treat

This is the pier at Centennial Park....flooded and frozen. The retention pond serves as a dumping ground for several surrounding cities. With all of the snow, melt, rain, and snow again, this pond has reached it's limit. It has reached it and surpassed it. For some reason, I still love it. When I should be thinking, "Oh flooding, how horrible." I am rather thinking, "What a magnificent scene, the ice representing a cold and quiet solitude, peaceful even to me. A forceful rest."


Next to the pier are a few benches, where you can relax and enjoy the view. You don't however, want to rest on one today!


Frozen grasses trapped and flattened in the ice, make for some beautiful artwork. Terrific color combinations composed by winter's hand. Will spring loosen the grasp?


Perhaps we don't want it to? Winter's charm never ceases to entrap me, just like this oak leaf. There is beauty in the leaf's willful surrender.


These willow trees, surrounded by ice, make the best of the situation with a beautiful sunset reflection. How gracious am I to benefit from their lovely splendor even in the midst of their struggle.

I am listening to Gregorian chant right now and the relationship between nature and God is coming together very rapidly. For my friends who choose not to believe, you do not have an obligation to read any further. See you tomorrow! :)
For my friends that do (everybody is my friend you know...I don't discriminate), these images tell me a story of struggle and beauty. Every scene for me, echoes a truth of how victory conquered death.

With Easter fast approaching, we are reminded of Christ's seemingly impossible situation of being condemned on the cross. A wrongful death? Evil overcoming good? Or was there a purpose, a meaning to this horrible act?
Jesus' death on the cross was meant by his enemies for punishment, but allowed by God to atone for all of our sins, which is His promise. This promise is brought to life every time someone asks for forgiveness.
Here is what Jesus said after his resurrection:
"These things I have spoken to you , that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." John 16:33

Just like today's images....the willows trapped, the grasses and leaves as well, right now it seems like destruction, but beauty overcame and death did not have victory.

Happy Lenten Season.

The Scale of Things

Ok......the last picture from Starved Rock, I promise!


Inspect the scale of this picture. Notice how tiny the people are to the rocks.
Pretty awesome.
I hear the word "scale" come up a lot in my place of work. Contractors need to review blueprints to scale in order to give an accurate bid on a project. A blueprint in correct scale mathematically converts to a trained eye, the cost of materials needed to build a building. If the scale is incorrect the cost to build is incorrect and disaster in the future is inevitable.

Now, lets ponder this picture and relate to our own human scale.
In our fast paced lifestyles we seem to think we have the control to be in control. These last few weeks with the sad shootings of the customers at a retail store in Tinley Park, Il, and the Northern IL University shooting of students, and the St. Louis shooting over a court case, I wonder......why are these things happening, are we out of control?

I'm afraid the emphasis to take God out of everything, to quiet that light as to not "offend" people, has grown a generation of lost wanderers who are in the dark.
Are we missing the scale?
Look at the rocks. There is something much bigger than ourselves that created this for us, loves us, died for us, and currently wants a relationship with us.
Why do bad things happen? If there is a God, why does He allow it?
Because we are not robots but each of us possess free will. Free to do evil and free to do good. The ones who inflict such horrible pain, are truly without light, who have calculated an incorrect scale with disastrous results.

I pray for the families who have been effected by these recent tragedies and I pray that we can somehow divert future ones.

Morning Light

Beyond the pine and through the maples, a current of vapor sways...
Just as the morning light begins to touch it's peaks...
"Renew," says our Creator...
"and seek your strength through Me."

C.Kane ©2008

This was the beautiful sky that greeted me this morning as I was about to go to work. Work will have to wait...this is much too important to miss! No sooner than seconds did this picture's color dramatically change, but this frame was the very best. What a great way to start the day.

Bear Lake

This is a Christmas present for my dear friend Sharon. Shhhh...it's a surprise. If she's reading this before Wednesday, well, she stumbled upon her own surprise!
This is a pastel painting I did today of her cottage on Bear Lake in Wisconsin. She loves this place and I don't blame her. What a peaceful setting. I was kinda missing autumn lately so I decided to give this picture a try.
Why this place looks so pretty that it could be used for a movie location! Maybe a nature movie!!!
I would like to spend some time at this cottage in 2008. Hahemm...Sharon...hint...hint!


I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year! A happy and healthy one.

I also want to leave you with a saying from Saint Therese of Lisieux, that really helped me out when I was feeling low. Use it for 2008.

"May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts you received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us."

Saint Therese of Lisieux

She rocks.
Happy New Year!

PS Prints for this painting will be made available sometime in January at Christine Kane Art.

Beautiful Sky x2

Do we live on a beautiful planet or what?!? I mean, Mars is all red.....Venus is sulfur acid yellow, aren't we lucky with our fascinating ever changing spectrum? That's what I thought when I saw this beautiful sunrise yesterday morning. I love how quietly the sun gently presents itself in the morning. Although I have to admit if it weren't for work, I would still be snug in a bug at this early hour. How lucky ducky am I, just today I witnessed this beautiful sunset......


Let's take a deep breath of tranquility.....ahhhhh. Do you see that right angle line in the sky? That was man made, it was from a plane, but everything else is God's handiwork for our happiness. Some might not believe that but I appreciate every little "gift" I can find.
If your interested in planet colors, you can click here. Ours is the best one by far!

Spears Woods in November

When people ask, "What do you get out of walking around in those woods?" How do you answer?
I've met non nature lovers, people afraid of the outdoors due to the fact that bugs live out there, people who love the hustle and bustle of the city with as many people as possible, and surprisingly many just don't understand.
This is how I answer: Do you know the painting, "Creation of Adam" by Michelangelo? Where God's stretching out His finger touching the finger of Adam, breathing life right into him? Corny as that sounds, that's exactly how I feel. I am never more closer than when I'm in the woods, not even at church, oh that sounds bad.
When I'm as far away from people and in the center of pure creation, the communication highway is wide open and everything is so clear to me.
This is Spears Woods. I'm cheating a little and for the rest of the week, using pictures from Sunday's walk because daylight is short and I can't do much after work anymore. Spears Woods has several beautiful features...


Not only does the trail take you into deep forest, but shortly after you can visit a savanna and lake area. How I love when autumn colors give their last performance of the year.



Here is the lake. It wraps around an island of trees. I've spotted many deer in this area but not today.
This weekend, I have to paint some more autumn paintings in pastel, I will be using Spears' pictures for inspiration no doubt.


Oooo, I love the slime that forms at the edge of the water. Frog territory, I'm sure. Notice the ripple in the water? It was very windy that day. Leaves swirling in the wind and branches creaking as they bend. I loving it all, communing with the One behind it all!

Autumn Nest

Oh how I love when autumn exposes the heart of a tree and this is just the beginning!
Whenever I see a naked tree with a nest in it, the nest reminds me of a human heart. Just like how humans attribute love with the heart, little avian angels picked this spot for the heart of their home, in the tender arms of a protecting tree. Clothed in the leaves of summer, autumn settles and begins to expose all that was hidden.
Do you see the red berries hanging off the branches? It's as if the tree is saying, "I'm sorry for revealing your nest, here are some berries for your trouble!"
May you find many hearts this season.
And if perhaps you own heart feels low, look upon a nest and remember this:
"Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."
- Jesus

Handsome Mr. Blue Jay

You might be saying, "She really must like birds, huh?"
Well, truth is I really do like birds, that's why I talk about then all the time. I especially like the birds that don't like me, or shall I say, the birds that don't visit my feeder much.
This is my neighbor's seed feeder. Look, the blue jay likes to visit his feeder. Maybe it's because my seed feeder is on a hook and swings in the wind and his feeder is mounted on a secure, but slanted pole? Whatever the case, handsome Mr. Blue Jay NEVER visits my feeder.
That's OK, I still love him. Look, he's just as handsome from the front as his is from the back...


He will become one of my paintings one day, I'm sure.

Let's Learn About the Blue Jay:

Large bird, about 12"
Year round in Chicago area
Mid blue to dark blue with white face and black "necklace"
Very aggressive to other birds, bully actually
Eats insects, fruit, nuts, seeds, will visit your neighbor's feeder
Will alarm other birds of intruders, like hawks or owls

Interesting note, This is what God says about birds:

"I know every bird of the mountains, and every thing that moves in the field is Mine."
Ps 50:11

Wow. Every bird. I couldn't learn every bird of the world if I tried, but He made them all.
:)
I write, paint and research about nature because it keeps me awestruck. I think I learn a little more everyday about our Creator and how much He loves us. I hope I never master the subject but am always a student and continue to be dazzled my His works.

The Beauty of Silence

This picture reminds me of silence. I took it last Friday evening. Looking at such beauty makes me go silent every time. Perhaps it is because I can not match it or explain exactly how it became, stop it in it's tracks or extend it's time to remain. Silence is truly good for us and in a world as chaotic as the one we live in, it is fleeting fast. I believe God whispers to us like this sunset, soft, quietly, but if you don't pay attention, gone in a hurry.

Today I sat in my car during lunch to get away from noise. I closed my eyes and just became still. At first, I heard ringing in my head. It was probably my brain in shock from lack of phones, machines, voices and the such. Shortly after, my senses awoke and I saw the boughs of a pine bounce because of the gentle wind. When it blew harder, I heard it whip in between the cars and felt a tiny little shake. It was subtle and if I wasn't silent, I would have missed it. I love the little details. I need to take my vitamin of silence everyday.

Determined Little Goldenrod

I made my cousin take this picture with her cell phone yesterday behind our place of employment. If this doesn't translate into determination, I don't know what does. There is not a plot of grass for 200 feet. He is growing in between a building and a driveway. No friends except for some broken glass and sawdust.

Isn't that how we feel sometimes? Stuck between a building and a driveway? I know I do. But wait! The crazy cool part - nothing is impossible with God, and that's how I know he exists.

Luke 1:37
For with God nothing shall be impossible.

With all reasoning going against this poor goldenrod, a way was made. :) That makes me happy. Thank you little guy for helping me remember with God's help nothing is impossible.

Happy Friday 'yall

Watercolor Goldfinch

Here is the male American Goldfinch. I painted this over the week-end. There is a happy accident going on here, which unfortunately you can't see because the scanner didn't pick it up. A happy accident is when you make a mistake that turns out good instead of bad. My mistake was that I mixed my green color with a little yellow that had glitter in it. Actually it's Iridescent Medium, Winsor & Newton, you mix it with your watercolor paint and it makes it nice and shimmery. It's very subtle and not obnoxious. It was on my pallet from the last watercolor painting of the meteor.

The male Goldfinch makes me happy and glitter makes me happy. I always buy Hallmark, or whatever brand cards, with glitter on it. My Christmas cards, if it has snow, better have glitter on it. It's just better.

So, after this watercolor dried and I realized the forest was shimmery, I was ever so glad, because the American Goldfinch brings happiness where ever he goes!

Here is an appropriate verse:
"I know every bird of the mountain, and everything that moves in the field is Mine." PS 50:11

God knew my happy accident before I made it. He knew which direction this goldfinch was going to face before I painted it. He knew whether I was going to hate it or like it and I'm glad. He's always in control and I'm not, nor do I want to be. Let's take comfort in knowing we have a God that is in control, even if it sometimes feels like He's not, and we can turn to Him for strength when we've run out.

Trail Time! Moraine 2 of 2

Ok! Let's continue our trail through the Moraine Valley Nature Study Area in Palos Hills, IL. If you remembered yesterday, I described Grassy Trail #1. Today, I'll describe Grassy Trail #2 (see yesterday's watercolor map). You're going to love trail#2 as much as I did! It has the same grassy covering in the beginning with some different highlights. Let's start with this beautiful Queen Anne's Lace.

Yes it's true, Queen Anne's Lace is a weed, you can find them in fields, road sides, along trails, by garbage dumps, pretty much anywhere. This is a true story: When I was just starting to garden, I actually asked for Queen Anne's Lace at a very expensive nursery (Sids) to which the employee laughed, "Why, that's a weed!" That really happened. I am not ashamed. I didn't know it but I still love them. We can't just love the beautiful ones (there's a life lesson in here somewhere), it has beauty in its own way, with that teeny, tiny little purple flower in the middle. Next on our trail are the more "beautiful ones" the wildflowers.

Here is a delicate Fascicled False Foxglove. I know it because my field guide told me so. The book I'm referring to is Tallgrass Prairie Wildflowers, Doug Ladd and Frank Oberle (A Falcon Guide). I like this book because the flowers are grouped by color. It allows you to quickly identify your flower in seconds! Most rewarding. Notice the fuzzy edges of the petals, reminds me of a comfy sweater in the fall. I'm sure there is a reason for the edges, maybe we'll learn that someday. Just steps away from the foxglove we see our next wildflower. This is Obedient Plant, I really like this one. It gets the name "obedient" because if you wrap it around the the stem, it remains like that. Had I actually brought my wildflower guide book with me, I would have learned that and been able to try it out, but it was another object at home collecting dust! A few feet along our trail, suddenly the trail goes from grassy to..... sandy! Doesn't it look like the bottom of a lake? Or maybe the shore? Is there water near by? From the observatory deck I could see water, but because we've had sooo much rain, I just thought it was flooding. I didn't know...... there was a secret water entrance!!!!! Yes! Boy, I just hit the jackpot. Do you remember when you were a kid and you discovered something new all by yourself? I was feeling that way! I might have done the "happy dance", I'm sure the wildlife thought I was nuts.

This is our reward. The treasure at the end of the journey or at least Grassy Trail #2. The water so calm, the sky so blue, the air abundant with fragrant. Here is where I can find peace and where I talk to God our Creator, who placed the Queen Anne's Lace (because He loves the "not" so pretty ones) and the foxglove, and the obedient plant just for us to enjoy.

Thank you for taking this trail with me!

God's Painting in the Sky

Last night's sunset. What words can I form to describe? My feeble thoughts cannot compare.

Going to the Country for Meteors

Saturday, I took a trip to my uncle's house in Grant Park, IL., so that I can view the meteors on their greatest viewing days, August 11 & 12. Because I live 20 minutes from Chicago, the sky is lightened by all the city lights, making the stars pretty dim. Grant Park is in the middle of nowhere. Nice farm land and dark skies. I first went out at 9pm and spotted a really fast meteor out of the corner of my eye. Wow wee! After about 10 minutes, another. Yeah boy! I kept hearing on the news that the best time to view is after 3am. 3am! OK, I'm doing it. I set my alarm, and quickly got out of bed when it went off. I was so excited. I stepped outside and what's this??? 70% cloud cover, and quickly more clouds coming! OH NO. Luckily, I viewed two more meteors before 3:23am when the clouds took over. By 4am we had a thunderstorm with high winds, I didn't want to think the "T" word (tornado), but I was thinking the T word on a count that I was literally in the middle of nowhere! Thank God none of the sort happened.

August is for the month for meteors and also the month of "The Tears of St. Lawrence." St. Lawrence (Laurentius) was a Christian deacon who was martyred by the Romans in 258AD. He was burned alive and the meteors have become known as St. Lawrence's fiery tears.
Interested, I decided to look up what it says in the bible about stars. I found 2 references about God and His stars:

"He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name." Ps 147:4

"...He calls them all by name.... Not one is missing." Is 40:26

All are named. All. I could not have counted them all if I tried. Then I remembered another counting verse. Jesus was trying to explain how much God loved us when he said, "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered." Matt 10:30. We are very fortunate and sometimes in the rush of things, forget.
I couldn't take a picture of the meteors, so I painted this watercolor called, "St. Lawrence Tear."
More country pictures tomorrow.

Attention Artists - Breathtaking Hibiscus

Here is a close up of another wild hibiscus. Notice the delicate veins and the folding of the petal ends. That's what I'm talking about! Artists go nuts for details like this. If any artists out there wants to use this hibiscus photo for a painting, go right ahead. Isn't our Creator awesome??? We do nothing to deserve such beauty, but it's given greatly.