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Psalm 113: He Lifts the Needy

by Melani Pyke on 3/9/2010 8:04:53 PM
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I like this little psalm. It makes me think of a huge open sky "From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets," and of the poor and needy being raised up and blessed, "He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap," and tells us a lot about God's character.

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Psalm 112: Great Delight

by Melani Pyke on 3/8/2010 8:44:54 PM
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I love how this psalm describes so many different was that righteous people will be blessed. Verse 4 in particular caught my eye, and that's what I've based my painting on... a girl looks up at the light.
"Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man."

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Psalm 111: The Beginning of Wisdom

by Melani Pyke on 3/7/2010 8:19:58 PM
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Hmm, what do I paint today? Psalm 111 praises God. Verse 10 tells us how to be wise. What's a good symbol for wise? How about an owl. Owls make me think of night. What else does Psalm 111 make me think of, that I could mix with an owl? The psalm talks about how glorious and majestic God is, which makes me think of a beautiful sky: infinite. I could paint an owl flying in the sky, or make an owl shape out of the clouds, even better.

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Psalm 110: I Make Your Enemies a Stool for your Feet

by Melani Pyke on 3/6/2010 8:52:20 PM
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I thought it would be comical to illustrate the footstool from verse one. The painting turned out to be a cool little piece of art, though, in moody blacks and reds. I like it.

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Psalm 109: To Save a Life

by Melani Pyke on 3/5/2010 9:22:07 PM
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I ended up spending an extra night at the "fish bowl." Fortunately I had thrown an emergency spare canvas in my bag, so I was still able to do my daily painting. Unfortunately, I had only thrown in three colours plus a weird mixing white, so I had to get creative. Realism was not an option, so I went for more of a soft graphic look. For the subject matter, I chose to paint a child surrounded by snakes which represent the evil people Psalm 109 talks about. An eagle swoops down to save the child, which comes from verse 31. I think the fantasy subjects ended up suiting the style and colours just fine.

 31 For he stands at the right hand of the needy one,
       to save his life from those who condemn him.


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Psalm 108: Awaken the Dawn

by Melani Pyke on 3/4/2010 9:23:32 PM
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For today's painting, I used a photo of the farmhouse that I grew up in.  I've also included the photo below for those of you who are curious, which I took a couple of Januaries ago.  The snow and icicles reflected the sun so beautifully; I thought it was such a nice way to illustrate this psalm, expecially verses 1-4 which make me think of a bright warm sunrise, a fresh start, and how God's love can melt even the coldest among us.  (We'll pretend this is a sunrise, not a sunset.)

Psalm 108 (New International Version)

A song. A psalm of David.
 1 My heart is steadfast, O God;
       I will sing and make music with all my soul.

 2 Awake, harp and lyre!
       I will awaken the dawn.

 3 I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations;
       I will sing of you among the peoples.

 4 For great is your love, higher than the heavens;
       your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

 5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,
       and let your glory be over all the earth.

 6 Save us and help us with your right hand,
       that those you love may be delivered.

 7 God has spoken from his sanctuary:
       "In triumph I will parcel out Shechem
       and measure off the Valley of Succoth.

 8 Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine;
       Ephraim is my helmet,
       Judah my scepter.

 9 Moab is my washbasin,
       upon Edom I toss my sandal;
       over Philistia I shout in triumph."

 10 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
       Who will lead me to Edom?

 11 Is it not you, O God, you who have rejected us
       and no longer go out with our armies?

 12 Give us aid against the enemy,
       for the help of man is worthless.

 13 With God we will gain the victory,
       and he will trample down our enemies.


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Psalm 107: Vineyard

by Melani Pyke on 3/3/2010 7:37:04 PM
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Psalm 107 should inspire us to give thanks to God. On this theme, I chose to illustrate verse 37 for my painting today:
"They sowed fields and planted vineyards
that yielded a fruitful harvest"
I love back lighting in paintings, because it makes ordinary objects look like they're glowing. The colours in this vineyard look so much more dramatic with the viewer facing the sun. I found a photo for reference, but also painted from memory of local vineyards in the fall. Today was one of those days when I was seriously too tired to pick up a paintbrush, so it really is God giving me the strength to finish this last bundle of paintings.

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Psalm 106: Fallen, Again

by Melani Pyke on 3/2/2010 8:47:07 PM
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We all stumble, and the Israelites were no exception. Psalm 106 tells how their history was filled with rebellion and ingratitude towards what God was doing for them. Finally verse 47 includes a prayer that God would save them from captivity.
My painting today shows someone physically stumbling to represent a spiritual stumble. She looks up to heaven as if to ask for forgiveness and for help getting out of the messy consequences she finds herself in.

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Psalm 105: "He Opened the Rock, and Water Gushed Out"

by Melani Pyke on 3/1/2010 8:24:12 PM
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Psalm 105 is exciting because it reminds us of how God always fulfils his promises. It reminds us of Israel's history, full of miracles, and today I've based my painting on verses 40-42: God providing food and water for them while they wandered in the desert waiting to get to their promised land.  You can see the rod hitting the rock and water coming out; the blobs in the background are supposed to look like a crowd of people.

40 They asked, and he brought them quail
       and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.

 41 He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
       like a river it flowed in the desert.

 42 For he remembered his holy promise
       given to his servant Abraham.


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Psalm 104: Created

by Melani Pyke on 2/28/2010 3:22:06 PM
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Psalm 104 praises the creative aspect of God, and reminds us that he is in control and taking care of creation.

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