JANNA VANDERVEEN
Fiction Author & Artist
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Watercolor Painting of Roses in Vase Dabbling with roses With love and with light This paintbrush of prose Births color and life. ~ Janna Vanderveen
Grander earth has quaked beforeMoved by the sound of His voiceSeas that are shaken and stirredCan be calmed and broken for my regard Through it all, through it allMy eyes are on You LordThrough it all, through it allIt is well with me. ~ Kristene DiMarco Reference Photo Inspiration: Heidi from One Girl Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/onegirlphoto/4525231113/in/album-72157623382989087
Watercolor Window and Roses “One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our window today.” ~ Dale Carnegie Reference Photo Inspiration : Larissa O’Duffy: https://www.flickr.com/photos/lariod/3551184572
A Tonal Watercolor Study: Farmhouse in the Dell Fingers of fog, Desecrate lightly The farmhouse in the dell Where silence walks And stone walls talk And darker stories dwell. ~ Janna Vanderveen This watercolor painting of an English cottage is my second assignment in Peter Woolley’s Watercolor For Beginners DVD: Tone and Composition.
A Poem of Thankfulness Your love is everlastingYour arms reach far and wideYou carry me in splendorYou never leave my side Upon your winds of favorYou lift me up to flyYour wings, beloved saviorA shelter in the sky. Your gifts, they fall like raindrops,Your water soothes my soulYou fill my heart with plentyYour grace, it makes me whole ~ Janna Vanderveen
The Robin The north wind doth blow, And we shall have snow, And what will poor robin do then, Poor thing? He’ll sit in a barn, And keep himself warm, And hide his head under his wing, Poor thing! ~ Mother Goose (Click on thumbnail for high-resolution image) Watercolor: Robin in Snow
Craft day is always fun, especially when Grandma is involved. She researched ways to create cabochon/pendant necklaces, purchased all the supplies, and set up the creative day for her grandchildren to attend. I suggested that my kids draw a picture which I’d watercolor. Of all the necklaces they created, these were my favorites! My daughter drew a doghouse with her puppy basking in the son. She also drew a self-portrait. My son drew a hero character with… Read More
“Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me now.” ~ 1 Corinthians 13: 12
Sailing somber seas Soft skies encroach muted trees Heavy with sorrow Striving, always striving… Tear drops driving A repeat of tomorrow. ~ Janna Vanderveen
The beauty of the Lord is like a Matryoshka doll. At first glance it is stunning, but a closer look reveals a magnificent multi-layered gift, full of even greater splendor.
I cannot help but contemplate the work of God’s hands, while writing Lumen, the second book in my Eden’s Gate series. Psalm 19:1 comes to mind and lingers… “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship.” ~ Psalm 19:1
The unhindered imagination of children produces the cutest things. Yesterday, my five-year-old daughter created this drawing of herself, with brown hair (she’s convinced that’s the color it will be when she’s older), and a red, rocket backpack. But most notably, she’s flying. At Disney World, a shop assistant sprinkled fairy dust in my daughter’s hair and promised her that if she made a wish, it would come true. You can imagine what I was thinking as she spoke, my eyes large as I subtly… Read More
This week, I viewed several YouTube tutorials on “negative watercolor painting.” I was intrigued by the title, learning quickly that it’s not a reference to one’s attitude. Instead, it ‘s a style of backward painting, or painting outside the lines/edges of a picture. Another way to describe it is coloring in the negative spaces, using multiple layers. This technique fosters an impressionistic or fantasy feel. My watercolor painting was inspired by Sydney Harper’s, “Rooftops.”
My five-year-old daughter drew this village picture, with a house, pink cotton candy tree (her most favorite snack), garage, car, dog, and flowers. We added a few trees to fill in the blank areas. Around it all is a fence. She would have preferred that I watercolor paint the entire picture pink, but I assured her that added color would look nice too. So, voila! “Pink World” (Click on link for high-resolution… Read More
Now that the kids are back on school, I have plunged back into editing and writing. It is always a challenge to keep life balanced when I immerse myself into my work, so I make an effort to do activities with the kids that I think they will enjoy. This week, on a whim, I asked my children to each draw a picture that I could watercolor paint . I wanted to do… Read More
Watercolor attempt #16. “Volkswagen Camper Van” Our family camping trips are complete for 2014 and school planning has begun. Change is in the air. It’s been a good summer filled with lots of happy memories. In honor of all those memories, I painted a Volkswagen Camper Van. Reference Photo Inspiration: http://www.ABPosters.com http://www.abposters.com/posters/vw-california-camper-v13241
Watercolor attempt #15 Art day is always fun with my children. We pile the kitchen table high with markers, papers, crayons, pencils, paints, etc…and go to town creating. My kids hunker around me and we bond. 🙂 My middle-born son drew Pixel World. My daughter illustrated a heart with her best friend Bella on it, and her cousin. In a sad twist of fate, we lost it. However, she’s not let that get her down, promising to… Read More
Watercolor Attempt #14 Painting keeps me thinking creatively, a necessary skill for both writing and editing. It forces me to visualize light and dark, shadows and colors, and imagine the what-if’s in the picture. When I tried to put words to the feeling this picture evoked, this thought came to mind… I am a haven, a safe place. Even though trials may come, I promise rest and a place of peace. “‘For I know the plans I have for… Read More
Watercolor Attempt #13 This painting reminds me of my childhood which was filled with days of life guarding, Saturday’s at swim meets,, camping with family, and snapping green beans with the radio blaring Christopher Cross’s song “Sailing.” What summer memories do you have?
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Sweetheart by Janna Etsy Shop
JANNA VANDERVEEN 