Leopard

"Leopard"           ©Maleko 2012            8x10 inches
Colored Pencil and Pastel on white paper

Eye detail

Promises to Keep

A Tiger's Rest

Colored pencil drawing, border & text added using PicMonkey    ©Maleko 2012   8x10 inches

Pictures posted below show the progress of this piece of art.

 

Working in the undertones.

Preliminary pencil sketch

Colors blended and background added.

Flushing out the highlights and shadows.

  

In the Morning

Photos taken of the morning sunrise in late August 2012 on my early morning bike commute in the Pacific Northwest! (Collage done using PicMonkey) ~©Maleko 2012

Always the Hero!

From the sky it was horseshoe shaped from one end to other where it met the main street where the cars traveled quickly carrying people on their way to somewhere.  The street was simple asphalt with no sidewalks. You only encountered the main road if you turned right out of the driveway, but if you turned left you saw the bend of the road forming the bottom corner of the horseshoe, but we so often deviated from the bend in the asphalt.  We would quickly duck under the electric fence marking the edge of the neighbors field that kept the horses and cows from roaming free.    Crossing the field on the banks of the irrigation ditches we walked carrying our BB guns like some might hunters looking for wild game.

                                                      

On the other side of the field we took turns holding the barbed wire apart as we each crawled through the small opening emerging into the larger agricultural fields that were planted with corn, potatoes, alfalfa and others crops depending on the year.  This is the street that I grew up on. The fields and beyond yielded a world where young boys pretended to be men by exploring, discovering and imagining the world in our own special way.  There were irrigation ditches to wade and swim in, trees to climb, brambles of branches to explore, silos to climb, old barns to explore and horses to dare each other to climb up on.  A world where the expectations of daily duties of chores, school work and being a good boy were left far behind.  

Hunting for our dinner as if our very lives depended on it, perfecting our aim with our BB guns we shot at many small birds, snakes, frogs and even each other on occasion. Although, we very rarely hit anything we believed we could survive in the wilds on our own.  Then as the sun would sink low into the western horizon the realization sunk in that we must return to that other world in which we lived.   The street that I grew up on lead to a world where imagination ruled and boys could be men, dream of adventure and always be the hero!        ©Maleko 2012

(The above was written for Free Write Friday using what is called stream of consciousness writing, no editing, no proofing just write!  The story was prompted by the text "The street you grew up on…" and image above, please check out Kellie Elmore's blog  for more information on Free Write Friday's, twitter hashtag #FWF and join the fun!  Just write!)

Outline in the Dark

Photography ©Grace Unveiled (Carri Schutter) 2012

Silhouetted against the setting sun

Living a faithful tension of spirit

Lines imprison the light within

Ghosts are waiting & alive

Dreams awake in shadows

Mists of smoky haze rises

I am finally real or only

An outline in the dark

           Poetry ©MalekoArts (Mark Schutter) 2012                            

Father, please do it again!

I watched the colors in the twilight sky grow before my eyes

As water runs quickly down quietly soaking into the ground

A kaleidoscope of blues, purples, reds, yellows and orange

Colors sing a beautiful song of worship for mankind to hear

Heavenly glory and splendor displayed on a canvas of blue

Hues fade silently as crystal stars slowly appear in the dark

Father, please do it again!

©Maleko 2012 

Resting...

   "Tree of Light"    

Maleko ©2011

I am His desire

I am His beloved

I am His child

Even in the darkest night

I am His joy

I am His passion

I am His child

Even as the storm rages

So..... why....

Do I feel anxious?

Do I feel alone?

Do I feel abandoned?

Be still and rest for

the Lord is good to you

Like new fallen snow 
covered by grace and love

Eternal Magic - Part 2

He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death.

Job 12:22 KJV

Civilizations have both revered and feared the owl as a symbol of the underworld.  The ability to navigate easily through the night has tied the owl to the secrets we all hold in the dark places in our hearts.  Often thought throughout the ages to be a shape-shifter that heralds the coming of evil or dark wisdom, a link to spiritual things the material world has long forgotten.  But some see the owl as a warning for those who would heed its presence, sent as a guide to discover hidden timeless truths which hold forgotten wisdom.

Civilizations have both revered and feared the owl as a symbol of the underworld.  The ability to navigate easily through the night has tied the owl through history to the secrets we all hold in the dark places in our hearts.  Often thought throughout the ages to be a shape-shifter that heralds the coming of evil or dark wisdom, a link to spiritual things the material world has long forgotten.  But some see the owl as a warning for those who would heed its presence, sent as a guide to discover hidden timeless truths which hold forgotten wisdom.

The owl’s hoots became more frequent and intense as Sadee Jayne voiced low growls in the dark while standing stiff, poised for attack, strained against the full length of her chain.  The air suddenly was charged with an unseen energy.  Flames suddenly shoot upward out of the campfire into the sky, but no heat could be felt from the raging inferno.  At the edge of the glow cast by the fires light dark shadows began to emerge from the tree line filling the night with an oppressive terror released from the depths of the earth.  Shadows, numbering in the hundreds, were slowly moving forward and appeared at once human in shape but with no distinguishable features save for glowing metallic eyes.  The silhouettes showed familiar human like appendages; legs, arms, hands but the edges remained hazy as if advancing from out of a foggy mist.

In fear the family of three quickly clasped hands forming an unbroken circle as the shadows continued to advance slowly out of the darkness drawing nearer and nearer.  It was possible now to discern that the shadows appeared as creatures from the spirit world that had taken on physical form.  The little girl shrieked in fear as the apparitions continued their slow march forward.  As the three began to pray their prayers slowed the forward movement of the dark figures for a moment when voiced with no hesitation or doubt.  But with any break in the prayers and the cadence of their voices, then the slow plodding march forward of the figures would begin again.  The creatures appeared to gather strength and resolve that as they came closer.

No sound could be heard as the creatures crossed the ground seeming to float just above it.  Did they lack a mass to their form?  Visions of demons danced through the head of each member of the family from stories they had heard; grotesque and cruel, things most people only seemed to believe in their nightmares.  But this was real and only a greater power, which had existed long before these creatures could stop the attack.  It was a deeper kind of magic that echoed across eternity, one in which these creatures long ago turned from and chose not to believe.  Prayers become more fervent as the terror inside rose and they clung tightly to one another.  The parents frantically shielding their beloved daughter’s eyes from the gruesome figures that now hunted them.   (END PART 2)

What I fear and desire most ...

What I fear and desire most in the world is God.  

I fear Him because He promises to be spontaneous, out of my control, unnamed beyond my reasonable self.  

I desire Him because God has color, like the fire that burns hot.  

He is not pale, He is not neutral.  

His light reveals the darkness of my heart.

Excerpt adapted from "Red: Passion and Patience in the Desert" by Terry Tempest Williams, © 2001

Answering, When Jesus Asks The Question

As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him. And two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David !"  The crowd sternly told them to be quiet, but they cried out all the more, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?" They said to Him, "Lord, we want our eyes to be opened." Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him. ~Matthew 20:29-34 (NASB)

'Mount Saint Helen's'

© Maleko 2011

After reading this verse it occurred to me that wherever Jesus went people cried out Him.  Especially those that had been shunned by society, the outcasts, the rejects, those who had lost all hope the things of this world or in saving themselves. It is still true today even after 2000 years, that when we are hurt, lost and without hope we cry out to God.  I believe in those moments those who profess no belief in God may also find themselves calling out to 'God'?

Throughout life we cry out when in distress, more silently as we age, and we are comforted by family, by friends and by God.  But what really struck me was Jesus response, he stopped, called to them and asked "What do you want Me to do for you?"  The God of the universe did not indicate that He already knew what they wanted, He asked and waited for their answer.

Jesus is asking this very same question even today, to each and everyone of us,   

"What do you want Me to do for you?"

Are you able to answer this question clearly?  Do you know what it is that you want Jesus to do for you? Specifically?  So often we want for lack of asking. The blind men new exactly what they wanted Jesus to do for them, "Lord, we want our eyes to be opened."  Clear and straight to the point.

Spend some time thinking about how will respond when Jesus asks you "What do you want Me to do for you?" and post your thoughts in the comments.  I will respond with my answer to the question in a later post but initially my answer evaded and puzzled me greatly.

3 Months of 2011- Choices Remain

Life in its Simplicity is Still Simply a Choice!

Roads we tread

"A Dangerous Path!"    Copyright MalekoArts 2011

Decisions we dread

Lies we tell

Glimpses of hell

Rivers we cross

Dreams we've lost

Mountains we climb

Those left behind

 

Paths we take

Choices we make 

A destination found

Simply heaven bound

The above photograph was taken on January 2, 2011 in the mountains where I frequently go to ride my mountain bike 

and to lose myself.  The bible tells us Jesus often went into the wilderness to pray and I find myself doing 

the same thing. I find that ideas for me are often birthed in the solitude and simplicity of nature.   ~Maleko

Update - Originally posted in January of 2011, one of my goals for the new year was to live my live deliberately and to be conscious of every choice.  Knowing that every choice for one thing means a choice against something else and nothing is left unchanged.   After three months, this simple fact remains unchanged and has borne itself out both positively and negatively in my life.  I encourage everyone to live your life on purpose, engage and always choose for the good against evil but and not allow the fear to rule our choices.  A reminder to all that you do have a choice and to choose life! ~Maleko  April 2011

would You...know it was me?

If I were a single tear that fell from the skies into the oceans deep, 

would You...know it was me?

If I were a single grain of sand laying upon an endless beach, 

would You...know it was me?

If I were a single shining star amidst the vastness of the milky way,

would You...know it was me?

If I were a single word unspoken within the minds of humankind, 

would You...know it was me?

"A Single Leaf"    Photograph    ©Maleko 2010

Life & Art; A Statement of Vision

I am an artist attempting to capture a moment that may offer a fleeting glimpse of transcendence.  Seeking to pull back the curtain that often hides the beauty, the mystery, the peace, the mercy and love that we all crave. 

 Offering subtle glimpses of grace in which we are spoken to in that still small voice through the images, objects and scenes in our life that we so regularly overlook.  I endeavor through my art to use pictures and words to encourage and shine a light into dark places, allowing grace to be unveiled, to help others bear the pain in this life.  

 

To share the journey, however brief is often a wonderful gift. If I can reveal a moment that reaches your eyes, moves your heart and touches your soul then I have succeeded.  But only if you take that spark and use to ignite the ember that burns in others into a blazing fire!  I believe in the ‘ripple effect’, touch one life and you just may touch the whole world.

Dancing Within the Blaze!        ©Maleko 2011

"TRANSFORMATION" - a video of discovery!

I believe each individual has a unique calling and destiny that was created by God.  Our responsibility is to find that calling and follow it where ever it may lead and if we do that our contribution to the world will be a positive one.


The goal was for this video to portray the positive effect of how a life may be transformed into many different variations each beautiful and purposeful in its uniqueness.  

 

 
We all have a choice, live deliberately!   ~Maleko Copyright 2010

(The images are based on an original ink wash and crayon design of a butterfly {first one in the video}, approximately 11x14 inches and then the subsequent images were digitally tweaked using Paint Shop Pro.  The music added is 'Azure Blue' from  Royalty Free Music at the following link {www.royaltyfreemusic.com}.  Hopefully this will inspire you to become the person you were meant to be and allow yourself to be transformed, never settle and never be conformed to this world.  God Bless!)

 

Happy Fall & Onward ...Prayers for the Future!

 

Even on Halloween, the Son still shines and is in control!  

Everyday can be begun anew with promises of a brighter and better future.  The joy is in the moment, as C.S. Lewis stated, "for the present is the point at which time touches eternity".    My prayer for all is for contentment this during this season and may each of us encounter the creator of the universe this holiday!

'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.      Jeremiah 29:11 NASB

My Manifesto of Fatherhood

Knowing that, God willing, no matter the circumstances, I will always be a daddy to my little girl;

Knowing that, God willing, my daughter will one day be an adult and leave to follow her own path;

• I will love my daughter for the gift that she is, not what she does
• I will cherish every moment we spend together
• I will strive to give her whatever wisdom I might possess
• I will teach her the value of relationships & honoring promises
• I will allow my daughter to soar upon her own wings
• I will let her go to travel the path God has laid before her

"May the Lord give me the wisdom to parent with love, humility and strength, to give my daughter the best that I can offer.      ~Maleko, 9/2010

Summer 2010 - Gifford Pinchot National Forest

Dream Your Dreams, Then Live Them!

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.

Boldness has genius, magic and power in it.

Begin it now!

~Goethe

(The above picture is a photo shop negative image of a majestic soaring bald eagle 

designed using watercolor pencils, approximately 4x5 on white cold press 

watercolor paper.  Copyright Maleko 2010, original below.)

The Twisted Path of Art

"The Process" - from idea, to drawing, to color, to completion!

To often we overlook the joy in the journey. This design started with the idea of doing a patriotic piece to represent America and the freedom we celebrate on July 4th of every year. Trying to capture a feeling of freedom, I chose an eagle to represent that freedom of flight, unbound by limitations.



Set against the American flag, this represents the freedom we enjoy. The drawing stage is often clumsy and ideas emerge on scraps of paper (see the taped together pieces).

The color came next to capture the essence. I chose to recreate the eagle and flag with a certain realism in regard to color choice, to portray a vivid brilliance to the colors to show power and force.


The beginning idea of of media is an ink wash technique where the original drawing is done using ink lines. The color is then added with either crayons, pastels or colored pencils, often a combination of them all.

The design is the sprayed with water using a spray bottle and I turn the paper letting the water and ink run in a certain direction to portray movement.

If all elements come together hopefully the finished product is comparable to the image
first conceived in my minds eye.

A glimpse into one of my processes it takes to create a piece of art. -Maleko

What do you BELIEVE in?

I just posted my first video on YouTube!  It is set to the music of the TSO 

song "BELIEVE" from the 2009 Night Castle album and initially recorded

by Savatage. This video is in response to a contest the band is running to 

create a video of what you believe in set to the music.

I believe in faith, family, friends and the 

ever present beauty that is found in creation. 

Beyond the pain and sadness that comes in 

this life is the ever sustaining power of grace. 

 The times when there seems to be no justice 

only mercy, we always have our hopes, 

our dreams and the faith to believe.

MalekoArts YouTube Channel - to view video click here >>>