Prophecy Watcher 05
My flight from from Minneapolis-St Paul to Wichita, KS was ‘different’. I discovered something worse than a loud baby on an airplane; it’s a loud adult talking to a baby on an airplane. The friendly but loud-talking lady in the seat behind me was baby-talking to the child across the isle from me. Fortunately, the child found a toy to be more interesting and eventually turned away from her.
Kansas – The Land of Odz
I had one very important stop to make in Kansas before I traveled on to Oklahoma to the prophecy conference. I rented a car in Wichita and took an hour drive to Winfield, my childhood home.
There were two primary reasons for my visit to Winfield. One, to see a very close friend whom I had not seen in many years. Two, to visit Van’s burger joint. It was my McDonalds back in the day. My friend is a vegetarian, so he suggested that I stop at Van’s first. I didn’t argue. Either I’ve changed or their recipe did. I think we both did. Not being much of a carnivore anymore, I suppose I’m not a connoisseur of all things meaty.
A Bitter/Sweet Meeting
I really enjoyed my visit with my friend. Yet seeing him was bitter/sweet. Sweet because he has had a special place in my heart. Bitter because he has turned away from Jesus. This once-a-deacon in the church has come to the conclusion that Jesus is a fictional character. I knew going in that he now held that view, but sitting face-to-face hearing it took faith to another level. It takes a lot of faith to believe that Jesus never existed. The most I got out of him for his about-face was that it had something to do with Egypt. I should have known. It was quite unnerving to look him in the eyes as I tried to get him to explain in depth his change of heart. He wouldn’t go there. Maybe I’m better off that he didn’t. Nevertheless, he will always have a special place in my heart. That look in his eyes…
It had had been my plan to get on the road to Tulsa before nighttime, but I had a tough time leaving my friend. I made it to my hotel bleary -eyed, but at least I made it safely.
AWESOME Art Tip
Tip: Shadows play an important role in art. However, you don’t have to be too literal in your placement of shadows. Sometimes I will move the sun forward, backward or side to side by several hours. By doing so, I can add drama and direct attention to certain areas of the painting. Watch out though, if the shadows go in different directions, it means that you have more than one sun in the sky. Multidirectional shadows are not uncommon indoors, but outdoor scenes typically have only one light source.
I didn’t have to move the sun with this painting of Vans. I did, though, put a tree shadow on the face of off-white building. The tree didn’t exist. I just needed a reason to tone down the light face of the building. You don’t want the viewer’s eyes to drift away from the subject.
Now, go out and shadow something.
