After reading today's Psalm, I chose to create a painting that looks more typically what I've seen other artists create based on the Psalms: a tranquil landscape.  It just seemed fitting for such a beautiful piece of poetry. This is also the first pure oil painting I've done in a long time!

In the spirit of the Thanksgiving/Christmas/Family Gathering season, I've chosen to paint a family dinner table today.  Santa supposedly watches to see if we're naughty or nice, and in this old testament Psalm it seems like God does, too.  Through his son Jesus, God now invites us to his table regardless of what we've done in the past, if we ask for and accept his forgiveness and choose to follow him.

This painting is part of a series of 150 paintings in 150 days by Melani Pyke.  Each one is based on the book of Psalms in the Bible, and each is available for purchase.

Well it's day 12, Psalm 12, and I decided to go a little more abstract today by splatting on a random background of fleshy colours to look earthy and human.  Psalm 12 talks about people who boast and flatter to deceive.  It also talks about having confidence in God's words alone.  Hence the image of a person talking: a reminder to trust what God says and watch out for smooth talkers who are opressing the weak.  

I debated whether or not to add a second person facing the opposite way, as if they were conversing.  Something to think about if I were to paint a larger version.

The closeup of an elderly man's eye is to remind us that God sees all, good and evil.  In the reflection in the eye is a silhouette of a crowd of people.  Are these people the righteous mentioned in Psalm 11, or the wicked?  God alone is the judge.

A homeless man sits leaning against a wall as a businessman rushes past.  In this case, the proud, prosperous businessman symbolizes the selfishness and wickedness of mankind that Psalm 10 talks about.  The homeless man symbolizes the weak and vulnerable; the victim and the orphan.  It's so easy to be like the businessman by sheltering ourselves from people around us, and even keep down those that are struggling.  I love verses 17-18, especially as the Message describes it, where God listens and turns things around.  This painting also reminds me of the story of the Good Samaritan.

 ^17-18 The victim's faint pulse picks up;
      the hearts of the hopeless pump red blood
      as you put your ear to their lips.
   Orphans get parents,
      the homeless get homes.
   The reign of terror is over,
      the rule of the gang lords is ended.

Wow, it was difficult to come up with an image that would sum up all the majesty of God and creation the way Psalm 8 describes it!  I like the contrasts between large and small, so I chose to paint "From the lips of children and infants..." and "When I consider your heavens..." from verses 2 and 3.  Special thanks to Marley for modelling, and to my imagination for coming up with the nebula.  To me the swirls are completely random, but if you see a picture within them I'd be interested in hearing about it.

Today's painting was taken from Psalm 7, and in particular verses 1 and 2 where it says, "O Lord my God... save and deliver me from all who pursue me, or they will tear me like a lion and rip me to pieces..."
It seemed fitting to hide the lions iso you might not notice them at first, similar to the enemies we struggle with in life.  Often we don't notice them until it's too late to escape.  But there is God's hand outstretched to help us if we choose to receive it.

7:15 am: Just read over today's psalm and not sure how to show God comforting a weeping person without the painting looking  overly gooey/sentimental.  Will let it sit for a while.  The weather looks drippy and dismal again today... maybe I'll use a nature metaphor.

4:00 pm: Decided to try to depict the feeling of being in extreme pain in a more abstract way. 

8:30 pm: Finally executed the painting, trying to make the figure contorted with emotional agony as described in the psalm, without it looking evil and grotesque.

For today's painting on Psalm 5, I've zoomed in on verses 7 and 8, where it says, "But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house;" and "Lead me, O Lord..."

In Psalm 4, David calls to God for relief from his distress, then finds that he is able to experience contentment, peace and safety despite what's going on around him.  I tried to show this by painting David in modern clothes, standing in a peaceful meadow with light (to represent God's goodness) shining down on him.