Make your own Chester card

"Chester Speaks" ©2012 Richard Fudge

So in addition to all the other Chester cards you can order, I've created a DIY Chester card. You just fill in the the speech bubble with your own note. I'm having a lot of fun with them and I hope you will too.

If you'd like to order a pack of five cards and envelopes, shoot me an email. I'm selling them for $10 a pack. Cards are 4.25"x5.5" when folded.

To kick things off, I'm offering a free pack of Chester Speaks. To enter, leave a comment on this blog post and leave your email address. The winner will be randomly selected on Wednesday, September 12th at 8 am.

AND THE WINNER IS..... comment #6 CcBuck

Writing 'I Love You' in 2.5ft tall letters

“Love Is a Journey” takes shape after one night at The Stirring

Inspiration:

This painting is based on a the sketch I gave to Katie. I'd post a photo of it, but Katie won't loan it back to me (lesson #1: always photograph your work). We just celebrated two years of dating and feels awesome to paint what is basically a huge "I Love You" sign on stage at The Stirring in front of a 1000 people. Also, I can't help but be reminded of my good friends Cheryl and Smith when reflecting on the message of this painting. They are an inspiring portrait of love to me.    
 
Artist Statement for “Love Is a Journey”

I grew up on a hilltop in the Ozarks. You could see downtown Fort Smith, Ark. from my house. When I was a Boy Scout, I loved to hike in the mountains. Now my favorite vacation trips are to the Great Smoky National Park. My heart and soul seem to breathe fresh life whenever I am there. The mountains in this painting are based on the view that I photographed from Newfound Gap. Mountains hold a very spiritual connection as well since it is here that God’s work as creator and master artist is lavishly on display.

In this painting, the mountain view is more than just a beautiful backdrop. The mountains are a metaphor for the journey of life with all of its ups and downs. In Boy Scouts, you are taught the importance of the buddy system. The buddy system is a way for scouts to look out for one another. If one person gets hurt, the other can provide first aid or go for help. Also, it is more difficult to get lost since two heads are better than one. Life is like that. It’s also better when you have a buddy to help you along the way and to share those mountain top moments with. Lastly, here are a couple of quotes I was reflecting on when creating this piece:

“Yea, though I walk through the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me.” – Psalm 23
 
“Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone. It has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new.” The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
 
“Give us this day our daily bread” – Matthew 6:11





Going BIG:

This is my first time painting at The Stirring since we moved to the new sanctuary. I wanted to paint something BIG, but I also wanted to paint something for me. I don't get commissioned to do large works often nor I do sell large ones often. It feels like a fluke when one sells. They can end up at your house for a long, long time (I'm looking at you, Mary and Christ). So instead of crossing my fingers and hoping someone will buy it, this one is mine. I'm commissioning myself for a piece to go in my living room over my massive sofa. The wall space over my sofa has been a problem for the past 3 years. Art comes and goes as it displays at galleries. Half the time it's blank - which is a good thing for the art but a bad thing for my house.
 
When this is completed, it will be second largest Chester-themed painting I've ever done. And because I like to make lists...

Top 5 biggest paintings by Fudge:

1. "Not Alone" 2010 - 8ft x 6ft (two 4ft x 6ft panels) - 48 sq ft 
2. “The Light Shines in the Darkness” 2009 - 3ft x 9ft
   (three 3ft x 3ft panels) - 27 sq ft
3. "Silent Night" 2010 - 3.5ft x 5ft - 17.5 sq ft
4. “Love Is a Journey” 2012 - 2.5ft x 6.7ft (two 30"x40" panels) - 16.7 sq ft
5. “Virgin Mary and Christ” 2009 - 3ft x 4ft - 12 sq ft

I'm very excited. The subject excites me. Painting in the Big house excites me. Big paintings of Chester excite me. This painting almost fills my little 10'x10' studio. Look at that photo. It's nearly wall to wall. I had to stand in the doorway to photograph it. I also had to buy a bunch of paint (lesson #2: always restock before you paint on stage).

Steven Smith - Guest Artist for August

Guest artists Steven Smith and Ally Guscette

I've got a couple of announcements about the Stirring, our guest artist for August is Steven Smith. I'm really digging this photo that Katie took. A poignant moment was captured as Steven kneeled before Jesus, The Creator, while painting last Sunday. Steven is very talented and I know he's got some special artwork planned. You won't want to miss him.

Also, The Stirring will be making the move from the South Hall (our home for all these years) to the big sanctuary on Aug 19th. Here's a nice clip about the move by Eli Morris.



We'll reconfigure the stage, turn down the lights, turn up the sound, and hang a gigantic Stirring banner to make this new space our own on Sunday nights. We need your help. We need your prayers. We need your enthusiasm. We need you to join us on Aug. 19 and bring a friend. You don't want to miss what God's gonna do next.

Oh, baby. Let's make beautiful art together.

Now that I've found you, I can't let you go.

I don't normally post product reviews but I bought this marker yesterday and it was love at first doodle. I was just in awe. And what has taken my breath away?

The Montana Acrylic Paint Marker - Extra Fine. 

Expect pictures of our beautiful art babies very soon.

Throwing clay in church

For most churches having an artist paint on stage during a service is a special and unusual event. But at The Stirring, it's just a typical Sunday night.

In the nine years that I have attended The Stirring, we have never had a ceramic artist throwing on stage. To be honest, I didn't think it could be done. There's the potter's wheel to lug up onto the stage. How could you see anything? Wouldn't it be messy and noisy? Years ago, I had even consulted with a couple friends who are potters and they agreed that it was not practical. 

Then along came Ally Guscette. She asked me if we'd ever do pottery on stage. I told her all the reasons we couldn't. She kept insisting that she could. So a little dumbstruck and amazed, I found myself scheduling The Stirring's first guest ceramic artist.


I still had my doubts as I stepped into the sanctuary last Sunday. But as you can see everything worked out perfectly. 

My beautiful artist's assistant, Katie, took a few shots for me (in addition to helping me carry in my supplies and set up). I chose to have a painter on stage in addition to a ceramic artist because I wasn't sure that we could get a camera angle on her. Again, things worked out better than I thought and we could have probably just had Ally up there working. But it is kinda neat to have two artists on stage.

Please come join us Sunday July 29th and/or Aug 5th at 5:30p as we throw some paint and clay at The Stirring.

I am an Artful Mess

So we do these creative exercises at work occasionally. Recently we were challenged to create a label for our personal brand. Something that embodied our personality, traits, and style.

Here's my quick creation. I'm pretty happy with it. It's a combination of doodles and paintings that I have saved on my computer. If you've been to my house, neat and orderly is not my thing. I am an artist and since I'm not married, no room or table is off limits to art making. Every so often the art studio erupts in a fury of creation. It pours out of its confined space and every room has an easel or table full of art. I feel creation needs a little chaos to grow.

Even when the house is in order, there are corners of clutter - little collections of art supplies, mail, or receipts. Stuff I need to get around to going through, filing or trashing.

So that's why I feel like an artful mess. I'm a little messy and a bit of a mess. I don't have a neat and orderly plan for my life. I've had some troubled times. Some spills and tears. But like a good painting, it's all coming together into something beautiful. I'm a messy work in progress. And I'm totally happy with that.