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Words of Expectancy

August 25, 2013February 22, 2014 ~ bryanajoy

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2 thoughts on “Words of Expectancy”

Grace @ Cultural Life says:

August 26, 2013 at 7:13 am

Yes! That quote certainly rings true.

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Letters From The Sea Tower

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[Update: SOLD] Teacup cherries! Today's contribution to #31DaysOfImpressionSketches turned into something a little more involved because I got so interested in the polish on the ceramic and the cherries. But here it is. This little teacup is a Royal Grafton piece of bone china from England and it's been a tea-time fixture for Alex and I this week as we've been reading As You Like It and In Memoriam A.H.H. 😊 [Watercolor on 320 gsm handmade khadi paper measuring approximately 4x6 inches. Available for $65, including free domestic shipping. DM to claim.] . . #watercolorsketches #watercolorteacup #teatime #stilllife #watercolorsketchbook #cherrypainting #watercolorcherries #originalpainting #originalartforsale #fruitstilllife #watercolorfruit #teaset #teacuppainting #watercolorimpressions #watercolorstilllife

[Update: SOLD] Today's contribution to #31DaysOfImpressionSketches: a couple of white and purple porchside pansies. I've been playing around with transparent background layers and I'm rather fond of how this one came out. 😊 [Completed with Schminke Horadam watercolors on 320 gsm handmade khadi paper measuring approximately 4x6 inches. Available for $40, including free domestic shipping. DM to claim.] . . #watercolorflowers #pansies #impressionsketches #watercolorimpressionsketches #watercolorsketches #watercolorsketchbook #pansypainting #floralwatercolor #originalpainting #khadipaper #schminkewatercolors #naturestudy #naturepainting #wildlifesketches #wildlifepainting

Today I get to do one of my favorite things: I get to announce the winners of the monthly #LettersFromTheSeaTower giveaway! Since the inception of this adventure, it has been my earnest desire to spread the letters to as many people as possible, including those who can't afford the price of a subscription. Towards this end, I conduct regular giveaways on multiple platforms, sometimes giving away more than ten letters in a month. These letters are very costly to produce and the frequent giveaways are made possible by the consistent support of my beloved subscriber base: people from all over the world who have purchased subscriptions in my shop. So before I announce today's winners, I want to give an enormous thank you to this treasured group of people who make The Letters From The Sea Tower a reality. 👏👏 I really can't do this without you guys. . . If you feel drawn to this project to fill the world with courage and creativity by means of handmade snail mail letters full of beauty and story, please do consider joining this crowd of subscribers. You can sign up today at the shop link in my profile and a 1-month trial subscription (with TWO letters) is only $12, including global shipping! . . Without further ado, the winners of the June 2019 giveaway! These individuals were selected 100% randomly from qualifying entries using a random number generator and they are: @sarahstasik_author, @gillianbronteadams, @emily_buchans, Kelsey Alger and Mattea Weldon (Facebook entrants)! 🎉 I have also decided to award one additional letter to @haileyalyssa96. Hailey is already a subscriber and her June letter is in the mail, so she will get to pick a friend to receive a free June letter! If you were tagged above, please send me a DM with your mailing address so I can get your lovely June letter in the mail. Thank you so much to everyone who entered. If you didn't win, don't be too sad: you can still get this letter all the way up until June 30 by ordering a subscription of any length in my shop (link in profile) and I will be fond of you for always. 😊 . . #LettersFromTheSeaTower #TheLittlePrince #AntoineDeSaintExupery #literature #snailmail #artandliterature

[Update: SOLD] And it's done! This miniature watercolor painting of #Gandalf is finished at last and the original is available in my shop on Etsy (shop link in profile). This piece is a re-creation of the small Gandalf painting that appeared in the May edition of the #LettersFromTheSeaTower. It was painted with Schminke Horadam watercolors on 300 gsm Arches hot-pressed watercolor paper and the painting is accompanied by the handwritten text of a beloved quote from Tolkien's wise and wizened Grey Pilgrim. I'm a little bit in love with it. 😊 . . #tolkien #tolkienillustration #tolkienart #thegreypilgrim #lordoftherings #lotr #fellowshipofthering #theshire #gandalfpainting #hobbiton #tolkienwatercolor #watercolour #watercolorminiature #aquarelle #hotpressed #literaryillustration #literaturewatercolor #tolkienquote #handlettering #originalillustration #allyouhavetodecideiswhattodowiththetimethatisgiventoyou

"When we hear this oft-quoted snatch of wizardly wisdom, it’s easy to miss the central splendid factor unless we consider the context. For some time, I missed it completely. As a young teenager, I thought this was a quote about using wisdom in making major life decisions. But of course it has nothing do with that. No, no. Gandalf is talking about the magnificence of doing our hardcore, glorious best with whatever unpleasant circumstances we get stuck in. We are all given a time and a place, a spot on the globe and a mark on the clock. If it is an evil time and a desperate place, so much the more noble is the challenge laid upon us to keep faith and shine." [Excerpt from the May 2019 edition of the #LettersFromTheSeaTower] . . It's time to show a little progress photo of the studio piece I've been working on this week! This illustration of Gandalf is a slightly larger and more detailed re-creation of the one I made for the June letter. Prints will be available soon and I will also be releasing the original painting for purchase in the shop, so stick around if you want to have a chance at getting it! . . #gandalf #jrrtolkien #gandalfquotes #tolkienquotes #thefellowshipofthering #tolkienillustration #tolkienwatercolor #gandalfpainting #wafercolorminiature #allwehavetodecideiswhattodowiththetimethatisgiventous #archespaper #aquarelle #tolkienwatercolour #fantasywatercolor #thebeautifulandthegood #courage

So I'm back to finish my #31DaysOfImpressionSketches! I have nine more to go and plan to do all of them this month (a bit of a daunting challenge at present!). Here's the first one from this second batch. It's a light watercolor sketch of a pair of new kittens called Rosie Cotton and Samwise. 😊 This is about all I have to share today, except to add that I've been hard at work on a new studio piece and I'll be releasing the original into the shop in the next few days...😉 Oh, and don't forget to enter the giveaway for the June #LettersFromTheSeaTower! It's open to everyone and I'm giving away FIVE gloriously illustrated and painstakingly crafted free letters. 🤗 You can find the giveaway details in my last feed post. . . #watercolorsketches #kittenpainting #aquarelle #khadipaper #watercolorpainting #watercolorcats #watercolorsketchbook #watercoloranimals #sketchbook #watercolorimpressions #watercolor #watercolour #impressionsketches

JUNE LETTER GIVEAWAY: If you've been following along here for more than a few days, you probably already know that the bulk of my work life is dedicated to a project called the Letters From The Sea Tower. It's an attempt to revive the beautiful craft of snail mailing and spread courage in the world using the power of story and imagination. Each month, I sent out over a hundred printed mailings featuring watercolor illustrations and a handwritten personalized letter reflecting on a work (or two or three) of classic literature and sharing how its truths have challenged and uplifted me. ✒🖌✉📮📬🌍 The letters are available by means of a subscription you can purchase in my shop on Etsy, but I've also given away dozens of free letters since the inception of the project at the end of last year, and my monthly giveaway for June is happening right now! . . I'm going to be giving away FIVE of the June letters about Antoine De Saint-Exupery's magical modern fairy-tale, "The Little Prince," and the urgent importance of seeking out soul-level friendships. The way to enter is a bit different this time around and you can enter even if you've already received one or more of the letters in the past. And if you're already a subscriber, you can enter on behalf of a friend. 😊 . . Here's how it works: to enter, you must be following this account and share this post to either your Instagram story or feed. That's it! But be sure to tag me so that I can see your post and tally your entry. Also, please keep in mind that in order for me to see your post, your account must be public (unless I'm already following you). This contest is open internationally both here and on Facebook and will close on June 12th, Wednesday, at 11 pm PST. . . #LettersFromTheSeaTower #junegiveaway #artgiveaway #giveaway #thebeautifulandthegood #snailmail #literarygift #literatureandart #literaryillustration #snailmailrevival #subscriptionletter #TheLittlePrince #lepetitprince #antoinedesaintexupery #whatisessentialisinvisibletotheeye #friendship #courage #thegreatbooks #classicliterature #literature #literarygiveaway #stamps #vintage #postagestamps #letters #mailingletters #illustration

I'm back! We finally finished our move from Abilene and the first art thing I did was finish this little Painted Bunting piece. I just listed the original painting on Etsy, so if you head over there using the link in my profile, you might be able to snag it. In the coming days, I'll be responding to all your messages, posting more impression sketches, catching up on commissioned pieces and making some exciting announcements, so keep checking back for new things. 😀 . . #watercolorbirds #paintedbunting #birdpainting #naturestudy #birdwatching #watercolorsketches #khadipaper #etsyshop

It's moving week here and the past few days have been hectic with packing and preparing to leave this city that's been home to us for the past five or so years. But this afternoon, we took a break for coffee at the bookstore and I started working on this watercolor sketch of a painted bunting. It's not finished yet, but I thought I'd share a progress shot with you all and let you know that I'll be back in a few days with more regular posts and responses to your messages and emails. 😀 . . Also, don't forget that there's only THREE more days to get the May edition of the #LettersfromTheSeaTower. You can use the link in my profile to click through to the shop and sign up today in order to make sure you don't miss out! This letter has #Shakespeare...and Tolkien...and a charming miniature watercolor painting of Gandalf. What's not to love? 😊 . . #watercolorbirds #birdsketch #naturestudy #wip #paintedbunting #sketching #artbreak #naturepainting

Annnnd, it's done! I got really wrapped up in this one and spent a long time on it, so it turned out to be more of a studio piece than a sketch. But I love it and I've grown rather attached to it in the four or so hours we've had together. 😊 . . The sculpture depicted here is tucked away on the backside of the @nccil and I painted it from a photograph I took myself earlier this month. I've always been intrigued by this vivid and powerful statue in downtown Abilene. It's a piece called “Mesteño” and it's actually an 8-foot version of the iconic 32-foot #LuisJimenez sculpture commissioned by the Denver International Airport. So that's fun. 😀 I so appreciate Abilene's prioritization of public art and everyone who contributes to the furtherance and promotion of the arts here in the Key City. . . [Update: SOLD] This piece was completed with watercolor and gouache on 320 gsm handmade khadi paper measuring approximately 4x6 inches. It is available for $65, including free domestic shipping with tracking. DM to claim. . . [Also, a little update on #31DaysOfImpressionSketches: with our moving date fast approaching and a good many deadlines in the near future, I've decided to spread out the rest of my 31 sketches and extend them into June. So I won't be doing one every single day over the next two or three weeks, but they will all still get done. This project has been a great joy to me and a tremendously helpful learning process so I want to keep it fun and not allow it to become a burden!] . . #GoodbyeAbilene #GoodbyeAbileneSketches #31DaysOfImpressionSketches #abilenetx #nccil #mustang #mesteno #sculpturesketch #watercolorsketches #abileneartists #localart #urbansketching

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