Pixel Stained Glass Window

Last year, the historical Cologne Cathedral in Germany finally received a new stained glass window. When the original was blown out from bombings during WWII, it was replaced simply with plain glass - until now.

The design chosen for the new window is modern, beautiful, and geeky! The design by German artist Gerhard Richter is made from 11,500 squares of glass in 72 colors like pixels! The result is quite wonderful.

Spiegel Online International News

Wikipedia

Wired August 2007

Verlee Mickel By Any Other Name...

...would sound better, huh? I get that one from Name Generator. Same place I got Tangia Aspen Cade and Lainey Stone Sailor. I've heard of stone drunk and stone fox, but never Stone Sailor. Still, there's a first time for everything, eh? (Note to self: my next novel is not that place.)

Think I'll stick to the phone book. It's where I found Ima Pickel.

If you have a pregnant friend, do not tell her about this site until she and her man have settled on names already. I cannot be responsible...

Art Meets Spirituality

Introducing a new monthly festival on art and life!

Art has been a shaping force in Heather Goodman's life. Through art, she encounters God, is challenged to think in new ways, and see new perspectives. Art influences her spirituality, art, and life. She writes:

I have a feeling I'm not the only one who experiences art in this way.

Hence, Artuality.

Artuality is a festival for artists and art lovers to share the place of art in their lives. Every month we'll focus on a different art form. You can share how this form or a particular piece done in that medium influenced you by writing about it, telling a story, composing a song, penning a poem, or sharing a painting, photography, a quilt, a new recipe, a collage, a sculpture (Play Doh, marble, clay, whatever your favorite medium) or any other art form you love or want to try.

This month is paintings. It can be a painting you've seen at a museum or gallery, a painting you've done, or the one your son hung on the fridge.

For more information or to participate, visit Artuality: A Festival of Art and Life.

For an example of an Artuality post, visit Artuality: White Crucifixion by Chagall.

Not Just for the Refrigerator Anymore

In 2005, Korean artist, Yeondoo Jung, did a delicious photographic series called, Wonderland, which interpreted children's drawings.

In this case, it is life which mimics art.

Cinderella


The Magician Turned the Whale into a Flower

Little Red Riding Hood

Miss Sparkle Sprinkles the Magic

Take a look at these other fascinating series by Yeondoo Jung:
Documentary Nostalgia
Bewitched

Colossians Resources

Perhaps you've joined the SPS Yahoo group that's been going through Colossians--and making some cool creations, as you can see. Or maybe you're doing a study on your own. Either way, here are some Colossians resources:

Bible.org has wonderful audio messages, articles, and textual notes on Colossians.

Dr. Tom Constable, a professor at Dallas Seminary, has compiled extensive notes on the Book of Colossians. He makes his notes available online for free. You can access the .pdf file by following this link: Constable notes

Go here for Matthew Henry's complete commentary on Colossians

For online searches of biblical art relating to Colossians, follow this link to biblical art

After the NET Bible notes, my favorite commentary on Colossians is by Kent Hughes.

LetterJames.com

AlphaPicture patented a technology called Widescope that allows two pictures to seamlessly fade into each other as if they were one photo to begin with. To promote their technology and their products they created the LetterJames web site. Here, up to 25,000 visitors a day create free pictures with customized text that you can e-mail to friends so they can e-mail two friends, and so on, and so on, ...

For the free feature, click here or look for the E-cards link on the home page. Images created are 72 dpi and about 4"x4" (please respect copyright). You can also test out the feature in the right side bar by typing the text you want and selecting one of the pictures.

They also have a product line for sale but I think it's only setup for the UK. But the free E-cards are cool.

Have fun!

Free Giveaway: Art Supplies

It seems that watercolor pencils have recently piqued the interest of several SoulPerSuiters so I scoured the art store for a beginner set to give away. This pack contains pencils in red, blue, green and black, and comes with a round tipped brush and a 4X6 " spiral bound pad of watercolor paper. It's the perfect size to travel to the park or stay home in the backyard on these nice spring days to experiment with paint.

Wondering what watercolor pencils can do? How they work? Here are a couple of in-house reports:
Graduate Level Coloring
Watercolor Greeting Cards

In this giveaway I'm also including a fresh deck of vintage-printed playing cards for your SoulPerSuit experience.

*This giveaway is open to everyone, even if you can't join us for Cappuccino with Colossians.

To enter, leave a comment on this post and tell me whether you're a traveler or a home-body. Will you be watercoloring in the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris, or right here in River City?

I'll post the winner's name on Friday, April 11th.

Tabletop Tripod

I was thrilled with the gift MyGeek recently gave me: a table-top tripod for my digital camera. He came up with the idea totally on his own and it’s perfect.

I love my little Nikon Coolpix 2100. There are definitely newer models on the market but I’ve gotten such great photos out of this camera I've no reason to upgrade. (The pictures shown here were taken with a Treo phone camera, not my Nikon, obviously.)

The tripod is the Philips Tabletop Tripod with Ball Head at the unbeatable price of $8!

Completely collapsed, it takes up a space not bigger than 6″x2″x2″. The tripod legs have little rubber feet to keep it from slipping or sliding around. The length of the legs will extend from 6″ to 11″. The camera mounts to a ball joint that allows the camera to be set in an unlimited number of angles, including looking straight down! In this position, I can see in the camera's display screen perfectly to compose my shot.

It’s going to be great for shooting pictures of my artwork (carved rubber, greeting cards, tags, SPS cards, journals, etc.). Having the camera stationary, I can use the timer, which will help keep shadows out of the shot and limit blurring.

It’ll also come in handy on retreats when I have to shoot pictures of 100+ SPS cards. The biggest issue I have is blurry photos. I have to take a lot of pictures and I don’t have much time to do it. Now I can set up a “photo booth” of sorts so that my background and lighting are always set.

Thanks, MyGeek!

Some Links

If you're the creative type (and you probably are if you've found our blog), below you'll find some links to artsy sites you should know about. (The blogs from the Arts Pastor and the one that follows I heard about from Erin.)

The Christian Pulse

Diary of an Arts Pastor

Stuff White People Like (just for laughs)

Newsletters from Speaking of Faith

Image Journal

Free Bible Study

If you want access to a free Bible study series I (Sandi) wrote that you can use with SPS, you can find one at bible.org, (a great place to get such resources). The topic is: Your Worth in Christ, and it explores how precious you are to God. Here are the topics and links:

Defaced But Not Erased (Lesson 1)
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made (Lesson 2)
Adopted as God’s Child (Lesson 3)
Disciplined as God’s Child (Lesson 4)
Restored and Rejoiced Over as God’s Child (Lesson 5)
Justified, Sanctified, and Headed for Glory (Lesson 6)
Broken but Usable For His Glory (Lesson 7)

SoulPerStocking

*

As we're all thinking about Christmas lists- our own or someone else's- I thought it'd be fun to find out what you'd like to find in your SoulPerStocking. List some things below that Santa can bring you that would move you further into creativity and imagination. Or something you use consistently to get yourself thinking in a more creative vein. Or even something new that you've never tried before and would love to test out in the coming year.

For my own SoulPerStocking, I'm eyeing the Beinfang Notesketch journal. Each journal page includes both a blank area (for sketching) and a lined section (for jotting notes.)

I'd love to try my hand at some pen and ink drawings in 2008, and this fine sumi brush pen looks like an exquisite re-introduction to the technique. Of course, then Santa would need to leave me a roll of rice paper too.

I have always loved the way Pearl Ex powder works. I can mix it with almost anything viscous (including plain old Elmer's Glue) and make something look pretty. Paint it (mixed with glue) over a plain piece of watercolor paper and I've got an subtly enhanced backdrop for my next masterpiece. Also good for making things look radiantly holy or explosive. ;)

And then, just for something kind of off beat and inspirational, I'd like something handmade from Etsy.com . The artist's hosted on this site are plentiful. And plentifully creative. You simply must browse.

I kinda like this coaster called, Bird School, by Robot Candy.
So vintage, so colorful, so cheery. I think I had a book like this when I was a kid.

Or this mini glass mobile to hang from my car mirror. Cool, eh? Art in the car.
Made by Leah's Glass Creations

So what do you want in your SoulPerStocking this year?

*Cindy Who Christmas Stocking, by Miss Mosh.

In the Mood

I'm a sucker for color. Bold and vibrant. Calm and soothing. Festive. Elegant. Riotous. Innocent. Color can bring such emotion and storytelling to a work of art. (And your kitchen, if you paint the walls in just the right hue.)

Recently, I found the blog, Snippet & Ink. The blog's creator, Kathryn, puts together daily "inspiration boards" to lend viewers a hand envisioning weddings, big events, and- I'd even go so far as to say, a sweater and skirt combo from their own closet.

One thing I enjoy about looking through Kathryn's boards are the places my mind immediately goes when I see her color and textural choices. My body relaxes with her pale green and cream combo. I'm slicing into a knife and fork BBQ sandwich when she pairs rustic red with tidy white. I'm bundling up for a sleigh ride when she pulls out the cool whites and Nordic blues. Each board is a scientific and artistic sampler of a slice of human experience.

Here are some lovely examples of Kathryn's colorful vision:

Board #60: Rebeckah's Miami-in-Toronto Wedding

Board # 57: Blue's Clues


Board #48: Autumn on the Beach


Board #13: Curious George

GodTube

Have you checked out GodTube? It has the potential to be the greatest tool ever OR one huge violation of intellectual property rights. While you're debating, if you haven't viewed the little girl reciting, Psalm 23 it's a must-see--especially for those of us who claim we can't memorize. (Case in point: What word comes at the end of this important phrase: It's the story of a lovely lady, who was bringing up three very lovely girls. All of them had hair of gold like their mother--the youngest one in ???)

Block Wall Posters

BlockPosters is a free site where you can upload a photo and turn it into a wall poster that you can print out.

The tool has a lot of flexibility built in. In step two of the process you select the size the poster will be by selecting the size of paper you'll be printing on, whether the sheets are printed portrait or landscape, and how many sheets wide you want it to be. The final result is a PDF document that you download and print.

Of course, MyGeek found this site. We have a friend who uploaded a precious black and white picture of his two sons and printed it on really nice photo paper. It's the main feature in their living room and it's fabulous. Look through the gallery to see some of the other creative ways people have used this tool.* Can you imagine blowing one of your SPS cards up to poster size!?

*Please respect copyright.

More Ruth Resources

As our online discussion/art group gets going in the Book of Ruth, we continue to accumulate a wealth of resources that tap into both sides of the brain. Here are some faves:

Bible.org has wonderful textual notes on Ruth.

Heather Goodman has written a nice, brainy Literary Analysis of the Book of Ruth.

InterVarsity has an interesting online Bible study in the book.

Dr. Tom Constable, prof at Dallas Seminary, freely provides his notes (.pdf) on The Book of Ruth.

For online searches of biblical art, follow this link: Biblical art. You can view Naomi and Her Daughter-in-Law by Gustave Doré, and Rembrandt's Boaz and Ruth.

Select The Story of Ruth (1960) with Gregory Peck for your Netflix queue. And read this review of it.

If you're into animation, try this version: Animated story of Ruth (1966)

Or to read the Book of Ruth placed in a modern setting read Dr. Reg Grant's Ebony Moon.

A self-described unobservant Jewish man/writer for Slate blogs as he reads the Bible. Here's the link to what he said about the Book of Ruth.

Or listen instead of read, when you check out the audio book of Ruth.

What are your favorite resources? Any others we should add?

Ruth Resources

Our on-line group begins studying Premium Roast with Ruth this week. In Week 1 we look at the history of two nations: Israel, Naomi's nationality and Moab, Ruth's nationality.

In studying Week 1 I was drawn to visuals. I wanted to see maps, time lines and genealogies so that I could put everything in context. It's just the way I think. I like to know how far apart the cities are, how everyone is related and when it all happened in reference to other events in the Bible.

If this is the way you study or you think these things might be helpful, I have provided links to what I found below. You can also find these same links in the right hand column on each of the Ruth pages on the web site. *Respect Copyright.

• Maps - PreceptAustin.org is a site FULL of Bible study resources. The map I found most useful for this study is here.


• Genealogy - Jim Belote, cultural anthropologist, put together a great genealogy of the Old Testament. You may just want to bookmark this link because the chart is about 43" long.


• One page genealogy - To insert in your books, I put together a one page PDF of the genealogy from Noah to Solomon.


• Timeline - Available on WordSight.org, this is a textual time line from Genesis to Revelation. Bookmark this page and use it to search for specific events and/or people in your browser using "Find in this Page..." under the "Edit" option.


• Color Timeline - SundaySchoolResources has a great color coded time line. You can reference it on-line or send e-mail to request a PDF print version for free.

You will notice that an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of paper, folded in half, fits perfectly in the back of the Coffee Cup Bible Study books. Use permanent or temporary adhesive to adhere 1/2 of a folded sheet to the inside back cover to keep from losing it. You could also glue a pocket or envelope (A-7 fits perfectly) on the back cover if you want to keep several resources and your SPS art cards in your study book.

*Always remember to respect copyright. These folks are freely making available the fruits of their hard work. You may print this information for your personal use or link to it from your web sites and blogs but don't redistribute it as your own, sell it, or copy it in part or in whole onto your web site or blog.

Art Cards

I'm told September 6 is the day Orthodox Christians set aside to commemorate St. Michael the Archangel and his protection of Colossae during a great earthquake.

Whatever you celebrate today, why not do so with art? Below are some links to sites where you can send free postcards with e-art ranging from Rembrandt to Frank Lloyd Wright. Make someone's day with unexpected beauty.

MOMA
http://moma.org/ecards/

Interesting.com ecards
http://www.interesting.com/postcards/

Artmagick ecards
http://www.artmagick.com/ecards/

Feeling Blue? Or Chartreuse? Or maybe Jet Black?

Last week, I was snooping around at the Etsy shop website, and discovered that they have THE COOLEST shopping feature on there!
Yep.
THE COOLEST.

Click here and you can shop according to color. Any color that strikes your fancy.
Periwinkle, antique rose, sunny yellow, creamy dogwood, flame red, plain old brown...
Simply click on the color you like and Etsy's search engine will pull up all the products that match that color.

It. Is. THE COOLEST.
(I've already wasted a ton of time there. I'm not a shopaholic. Just a colorholic.)

Engage the Senses

If anybody can sniff out a good article, Kelley Mathews can. She sent us a link to this piece by Lauren Winner on connecting smell with doctrine: i.e., aromatheology. Check it out.

Create Your Own

Today I want to introduce you to some sites where you can play and create online. Whether you're a kid or a grown-up or a grown-up with kids, you can engage in imaginative play alone or with somebody you love.

Remember Mr. Potatohead? Think same concept, different genre. View my quirky modern art and create your own at Mr. Picassohead.

Next, create your own band complete with sound. I will spare you the link to the one I made. It would annoy you as much as your music used to annoy your parents.

If you follow my blog you already know how to create your own Jackson Pollock and your own Mondrian.

But why not trying a shot at creating your own cartoon character.

Create your own D&D character (you don't have to play the game to have fun making up characters). Mine is Stoaga Fletcher, otherwise known as Stoaga the Shadowdancer, Lady Stoaga, Lady Fletcher, Lady Stoaga Fletcher the Shadowdancer, Lady Stoaga Fletcher the Powerful, or Stoaga Fletcher the Weaver.

Finally, create your own psalm. For this you don't need a web site. Write down the hardest thing you've ever experienced. Then jot down how you felt (or feel). Then write a short prayer that ends with an expression of trust.

Give your left brain a break and tap into the creativity God made you to express.

[Photograph of The Guitar, 1918. Oil on canvas, by Juan Gris. In the public domain.]