Reckoning

"Reckoning"
Digital illustration using the Harmonious app for iPad.

Invasion

"Invasion: They Came at Midnight" / Digital sketch using the Harmonious app for the iPad.

You can see other Harmonious sketches by me on this page: http://harmoniousapp.com/search/user/Rok

You can also vote for or "like" any on my sketches on that page (any that say "by Rok").

Gaze

"Gaze" / Digital sketch using the Harmonious app for the iPad.

Wonders of Creation

Here is a two-page illustration from a project I worked on last year. I illustrated a children's book titled But God's Word Says...Creation by Rebekah Williamson. The book presented an interesting challenge in its conceptual freedom. I tried to incorporate my own lifelong since of awe of the majesty of creation into each page. I tried to remember all the things that sparked my imagination as a child - here you get a picture of a starry night, a shooting star, fireflies, bedding birds in branches, a tree house, a tire swing, and fences that melt into the landscape. Here there are hills to roam and explore.

I'm currently working on the second book in this trilogy.

If you would like to check out more about the first book or order a copy, here are a couple of links:

http://www.butgodswordsays.com/

http://www.amazon.com/But-Gods-Word-Says-Creation-Book/dp/145751091X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1353459942&sr=1-1&keywords=but+god%27s+word+says...creation

Though torn in two

Though torn in two
We can be one

I, I will begin again
I, I will begin again

~ lyrics from U2's song "New Year's Day"

This a mixed media piece paying homage to the photos and vision used for U2's album War and the era surrounding it. I thought it seemed appropriate for the day and the times.

(Pencil, ink, watercolor on paper)

You're welcome at my fire anytime.

"A man can be hard to find in the mountains. You're welcome at my fire anytime." (A line about the value of true friendship from the film The Man from Snowy River.)

This digital ink and watercolor piece was completed on the Paper by 53 app on the iPad.

Dear Baby Girl

Dear Baby Girl:

On this day one year ago, our lives changed forever. We waited so long for you, we almost gave up hope. The last few years were the hardest. The disappointments were almost too much for us to bear. There were so many nights we spent crying out to God to hear our prayers. And then you came home to us.

From the moment we met you on October 11, 2011, we knew you and you knew us. You reached for us in those first moments, your big brown eyes searching, and we were overcome. You laughed and played and sang with us. The few hours we spent with you that day changed everything. All those years, all those prayers came crashing back like waves on a shore, the anguished words now a peaceful hush. How do you prepare for answered prayers?

On this day one year ago, we waited for your arrival. The day was warm and bright, the leaves turning golden- red despite the stifling heat of early fall in Georgia. The ticking of the clock was never so loud.

And then you were here, clinging to us, our arms around your tiny body, your arms around our necks, our hearts so full. You cried out for Tristan and hugged him, loving him instantly. He warmed up eventually. You both fell asleep in Daddy’s arms. Suddenly, all the pieces came together.

What a year! What an adventure! You are so smart, so kind, so sweet, so funny, and so fiercely independent. You are a beautiful girl with a beautiful soul. You bring us happiness like we’ve never known. We are overjoyed and humbled we get to be your Mama and Daddy. We are so thankful. We are so blessed.

On this day one year ago, we became a family.

You were worth the wait.

We love you baby girl,

Mama and Daddy

Starfish

Another example of illustration work I've completed for Christ Fellowship. This is my interpretation of the Starfish story. This illustration was used for the cover of the Bible study guide Helping Others by Pastor Marc Limbaugh. Pencil, ink, and watercolor.

Here's a sample of the story Marc used in the guide:

By now, most of us have heard the story about the little boy who was walking along the beach and picking up starfish that had washed ashore. A man questioned what the boy was doing and the little boy replied, “I’m saving these starfish from dying on the beach.” The man chided his efforts with a gentle rebuke, “Son, there are thousands of starfish that have been washed up on this beach. Do you really think you’re going to make a difference?” Without stopping what he was doing, the little boy picked up the next starfish and hurled it into the ocean...“I’m making a difference for this one.”

WOW! Logo

Here's a sample of some illustration work I've done for Christ Fellowship Church. This is the logo for the Wednesday children's program at the church. Composed with pencil ink, digital watercolor on the Wacom Bamboo digital tablet, and Photoshop.

City View

Here's a glimpse at one of my first attempts using the Paper by 53 app for the iPad. This is a quick ink/watercolor sketch I attempted while we waited during the 14 hour spinal surgery on Pastor Marc Limbaugh. That's the Georgia State Capitol building and its gold dome as I saw it from the 6th floor at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta.

Still Standing

Another creation using the Paper by 53 app for the iPad. Here's a shout-out to Ben Bonner for another great message on Sunday about miracles and being a miracle maker in a our everyday lives. Ben is the assistant pastor at Christ Fellowship Church: http://www.christ-fellowship.com/. He is teaching most Sundays as our Senior Pastor, Marc Limbaugh, recovers at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta following a bad accident two weeks ago.

As I listened to Ben bring another message of hope yesterday, I opened my iPad and begin to compose this simple watercolor/ink piece. Sketching and doodling have always helped me focus on listening close to a speaker (notes are great but art is better!). 

Marc Limbaugh is also my father-in-law and as we wait for positive signs and reports each day of his recovery, my imagination composes pictures. I think of how Marc and I both are in awe of creation and all its wonders. I think of how Marc loves the mountains and rivers and streams. I think of how Marc once told a story of how he woke his four sons up on a trip out west to see a sunrise in a national park and how they watched it in awe together and how he treasured that shared moment. As Ben spoke, my heart turned to a sunset over mountains and a forest, the last glow before the night comes sweeping in with a blanket of stars. The end of another day fading into darkness.

By faith, I hold on to hope. In the morning, the sun will rise again. There will be mountains to climb, but we will find our path and sure footing. 

And we will stand in awe.

Red Flower

I'm using a new app on the iPad called Paper by 53. You can check it out here: http://www.fiftythree.com/paper. It's like a digital form of the moleskin journal. The flower above is a combination of pencil, ink, and watercolor. I'm digging this new app. More to come.

Light #2

Light #2. A sketch using the Harmonious app on the iPad.

Tools

"Tools"
A series of sketches on the iPad using the Harmonious app.

Light #1

Another creation on the iPad using the Harmonious app. Light #1

Thrice is Nice!

File this under things I love. While I'm sketching and painting I like to listen to music. The bands Thrice and This Will Destroy You are my latest obsessions. This is a great acoustic version of Thrice's song "The Whaler" from their album The Alchemy Index.

Coming Home

Another sketch using the Harmonious app on the iPad. Inspired by a photo I saw of captured German soldiers in WWII.

The toll of war is heart wrenching. You can see it in the eyes of those coming home after their service has ended. I had a friend tell me once he killed enemies and saw friends die when he served in Iraq.

"Sometimes," he said, "I think I died with them."

"That's terrible," I said after a few moments.

He took a long drag on a cigarette and exhaled slowly, nodding, and then rubbing his hands together against the cold of an early winter in Georgia.I remembered when were both younger, just reckless youths, he confessed to me how he heard ghosts moving around in the rented row house his family lived in at the time. I told him the creaks and groans he heard were probably the result of an old house settling at night. He said no. I was wrong. They whispered to him.

His eyes were hollow then.

"I'm pretty sure your buddies would want you to live your life. You know...survive."

He stretched his arms wide against the blistered sky and shivered. A mockingbird flew across the parking lot and over trees and out of sight.

"I wasn't talking about my buddies. I meant the ones I took."

He ground his cigarette out with his boot heel. They were construction boots for his new job, his new life - sturdy and dark with steel toes. He dressed the part.

"Come on. Let's go inside. It's getting cold out here." He clapped me on the back and turned to go. "My nipples are so hard, I think I could dial a rotary phone with them." And then he laughed. Just like old times.

I couldn't see his eyes.

The Crow

Lately, I've been using a quirky sketchbook app for my iPad called Harmonious. Instead of traditional line sketches, the app makes use of spidery webs, glowing circles, ribbon lines, rectangular boxes, furry lines, and other strange shapes. It's a fun way to make a quick sketch that you can save or post online at the harmonious gallery (I'm under the label Rok: http://harmoniousapp.com/search/user/Rok . This is a quick sketch I did using the app based on a George McLean crow painting I saw once. I use a Wacom Bamboo stylus with my iPad.

Cat Poo and the Sweet Hereafter

On Friday we laid my wife’s sweet Mamaw to rest in Alabama and two days later I stepped in cat poo on the way to church. How’s that for coincidence? Of course, I took it as a sign.

It’s funny how some odd pairings stick with you. You don’t think they fit together at all, like random pieces from two different puzzles, and you push them aside in frustration or brush them off without another thought. But sometimes, if you’re particularly obsessed with the meaning of it all, you take another look at those disparate parts and you assign them meaning. And sometimes they just fit –like cornbread and mayonnaise.

 So, how do cat poo and the hereafter go together? I’m so glad you asked.

Maybe they do and maybe they don’t. (How’s that for armchair philosophy!!)

Here’s the truth: I’ve been scared to start this blog. Why? I’ve been scared for a number of reasons, some them reasonable (Who cares?) and some unreasonable (Will this blog haunt me should I ever run for President of the World after the nuclear apocalypse?). Here’s a reasonable top ten:

1. You may read it, frequently or infrequently. Equally scary.
2. You may love it or hate it. Or both. At the same time, like those guilty pleasure movies (looking at you     Roadhouse) that run late night on cable.
3. I’m of many minds and I want them to all get along and play nice. They don’t.
4. I don’t always play nice.
5. I hate squirrels and I don’t want to be judged for hating those miniature tree demons.
6. What if I have nothing to say?
7. What if I blurt it all out?
8. I wonder if real writers, with real careers and readers, write blogs.
9. Are blogs out of date? Like MySpace?
10. I don’t tweet…

But, here I am, finally. I can’t live in fear; not of failing, of being judged, or even of stepping in it. My wife’s grandmother was a sweet lady. She cared for her family and for strangers she met along the way. Her laugh was contagious and her work ethic was notable. She wasn’t afraid to start numerous business ventures or own several properties at the same time. Why should I be afraid to take a chance?  I don’t want to live my life with silly regrets. It seems disrespectful to Mamaw’s memory and to the people who have encouraged me along the way (Including the college student who enthusiastically approached me almost two years ago after a reading on our local university campus to ask if I had a website or blog where he could go and read more of my writing).

As for the cat poo, while I may occasionally blindly step in “it” with my opinions, I can only hope the smell lingers for a short time and you forgive my missteps.

Plus, I need a place to vent about squirrels and I’ve already been banned from three forums on the subject. (Really?!! – The name of your forum is I-HATE-SQUIRRELS, but I’m too harsh for your boards. Is full squirrel annihilation too much to ask?)

Anyway, here it is. For all the people who said go for it- family, friends, mentors and the guy who wanted to hear/read more.

Squirrels beware!