20.9.13

Charcoal Souls . . .

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me

    to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a]
 
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion,
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.
They will rebuild the ancient ruins

    and restore the places long devastated;

they will renew the ruined cities

    that have been devastated for generations.
 
Strangers will shepherd your flocks;
    foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
 
And you will be called priests of the Lord,
    you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
    and in their riches you will boast.

Instead of your shame

    you will receive a double portion,

and instead of disgrace

    you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
    and everlasting joy will be yours.

“For I, the Lord, love justice;

    I hate robbery and wrongdoing.

In my faithfulness I will reward my people

    and make an everlasting covenant with them.
 
Their descendants will be known among the nations
    and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
    that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”

I delight greatly in the Lord;

    my soul rejoices in my God.

For he has clothed me with garments of salvation

    and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
    and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
 
For as the soil makes the sprout come up
    and a garden causes seeds to grow.
~Isaiah 61~

























models: Meredith [red] Taryn [blonde] Rachel [brunette]

For me this photo shoot began as an expression of this portion of scripture in Isaiah 61. This scripture has been very dear to my heart for a very long time and this idea of creating something beautiful out of what is usually deemed as dirty was the perfect reflection of what Christ does in us. I couldn't have done this without the help of my three best friends Meredith, Taryn, and Rachel. Thank you guys so much for letting me photograph you sans makeup, pour water over your heads, and cover your faces in charcoal. [I wish Kaci could have joined us!!] These girls have been such a solid back bone for me to lean on at college and I couldn't thank God enough for placing them in my life. 

ps:
Oh..  and just incase you guys were wondering. They had shirts on! No naked ladies ova here! 
pss:
and don't mind me and my all over the place editing. I originally was going to make these all black and white but I just loved the color ones so much! 
pss: [last one I promise]
If you haven't heard it yet, you NEED to listen to Oceans by Hillsong United. click here to listen!


xoxo 

Tor

connect with me via...




^They're irresistible. 

18.8.13

Jordan Gentry; Artist feature

I am so pleased and honored to introduce to you, Jordan Gentry! It was just last year Jordan and I became friends on Instagram and I knew instantly that I wanted.. no, NEEDED.. to feature her art on my blog. Her painting style is so unique and captivating. Her art compels me to create passionately, and I hope you are all as inspired by her art as I am. 

Recently Jordan used one of my photographs as a reference, below is that photograph & her completed work. She did such a beautiful job!


Jordan in her studio





To learn a little more about Jordan, feel free to read her answers to my interview questions below!


1. Where are you at in your life right now, what brought you here, and what kind of future do you see for yourself? Does it involve painting?

I am an artist based in Austin, TX that works primarily in portraits. I have always known that art was an integral part of my identity and purpose, but have only recently begun to seriously pursue my passion for painting. Currently, my time is occupied by working to develop and evolve my personal style, serving at The Blanton Museum of Art, and providing commissions to families and individuals. Each artistic pursuit refines my creativity, knowledge, and technique, respectively. I plan to continue on this path of immersing my self in the art world and look forward to where it will lead me. 

2. What/who influenced the developing of your unique geometric style? 

I was playing around in my sketchbook one day and rather than blending to create depth like usual, I had an urge to lay down harder lines. So I began building a portrait by enhancing and abstracting geometric forms already present from bone structure and shadow. I immediately fell in love with this new style because it was very freeing creatively, allowing me to break out of traditional rules for shading as well as color. 

3. How/where did you learn to paint? 

I am actually a self-taught artist. Although I did have some great art teachers in my younger years that really helped to develop skills early and set me on the right track for pursuing my love for art.

4. Do you have any other passions? Or is painting your first and only love? 

Painting is definitely my first and greatest love, but I am also fascinated by Art history, Psychology, Philosophy and Design. I have also always been athletic and enjoy tennis and running.

5. What is the best advice you've ever received? 

My best advice probably came from my middle school art teacher. I was working on a portrait and had just perfected the nose when I realized it was positioned slightly too low. I had already spent so much time getting the shading and shape just right, so I decided to leave it where it was. But when my teacher came over to review my work she promptly spotted the flaw and told me to erase the nose and start over. I argued back that it wouldn’t make that big of a difference, but she insisted that I should never allow myself to settle for something that is wrong when I am capable of making it right. It was then that I learned that extra time and effort are always worth it to achieve my potential.





I highly encourage you to follow Jordan on Instagram!
To view more of her portfolio, you can visit her website linked below. 


“You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” 

xoxo 

Tor

connect with me via...