I can't believe that it has been over a month since I have had a chance to set down and write down some thoughts.

Starting January 10th I began furthering my knowledge in oil painting by taking some classes at the Mcconnel Arts Center in Worthington, Ohio with Steven Walker. Steven has become one of my favorite artists. I was fasinated by his work the very first time I saw it and eager to learn from him. I admire Steven because he is so willing to teach others the skill he is in the process of mastering! You can check out Steven Walkers works at www.stevenwalkerstudios.com. You can also follow Steven's Blog at http://www.stevenwalkerstudios.blogspot.com/


One thing I recognized the first night i was in class: I don't paint enough.
 
I began to think about how busy life is and specifically why I don't paint as much as I need to to get better at a gift that was given to me; it is obvious that without practice, just like anything, we are simply not going to get any better at anything.  I realize that having a full time job in a Cardiac Catheterization Lab requiring frequent on call time, Leading our Teens in Training Ministry at Church with Tracey and soon to be serving at a second Leave A Mark Church site, being a husband and a father to five children is bound to take up about every minute of the day, BUT there has to be a way to find time to paint too. 

After I have served all the above passions mentioned, I have begun to retreat to the studio in the evenings (after the kids are in bed and while Tracey tackles her own demons.... which happen to be statistics and other Bachlor's nursing classes this semester) to start putting a little more time in at the easel.

I have learned that every piece doesn't have to be so big (11x14 or larger), taking more time than I have to invest, losing focus, thus, losing interest and finally never completing the painting I was once fired up about. By tackling smaller works (9x12, 8x10, 6x8, 5x7) I will be able to stay focused, get the practice, experience, and have the satisfaction of having completed a painting in a reasonable amount of time.

As a added bonus, I will call these my "Pocket- Sized Paintings" and offer them at a very reason price to those who are interested.

I would like to express my extreme gratitude to those who made a donation to our fundraising raffle for Bill and Tina Laing. Our goal was met and exceeded, bringing home a win for Team Bill!!!  Bill and Tina are doing wonderful after his double lung transplant and are currently at home here in Columbus, Ohio. I am both blessed and humbled by the outpouring of love and compassion that we have been shown for this cause during a time of great need by so many.


Congratulations to all of the winners!

Follow this link  www.mattsiskstudios.com/winners.html for the complete list of winners.

I am excited we had donations from 6 Continents, 14 countries and 32 states within the United States. Nearly 650 tickets were sold. We had so many donations to put in the raffle as prizes that we were able to select over 70 winners!

As the promoter of this event, I encourage each of you to take on the challenge of helping someone in need. As you can see, a  random act of kindness can cause a ripple effect that can be felt all over the world. The feeling gained by this experience will never be lost.

To wrap up the His Will for Bill Raffle, my painting called, A Reflection of Hope was hung at Nationwide Children's in honor of Bill Laing. I am very proud of this accomplishment and very proud of Tina and Bill for their courage, but mostly for their faith in our loving God. 

I am putting on the finishing touches to the final painting that will be donated to Nationwide Children's Hospital in honor of my friend Bill Laing. The newly-built, 750,000 sq foot hospital will be opening in early 2012.  I am humbled, yet very excited that my painting will be displayed on the 4th floor in the Parents Waiting Lounge in the ICU.
I sincerely hope that my painting will bring peace and comfort to a parent with a sick child. 

When I was told that my painting would be displayed in the brand new hospital my mind began to scroll thru the possibilities of subject matter I could paint. I thought to myself, What would be appropriate to give meaning and honor to both, my friend Bill, AND the parents that have a child sick enough to require an ICU? I went out and began to search for something that would achieve both. As I entered downtown, God quickly led me to the perfect place. As I drove, I remember a hot summer day that Tracey, Sadie and I had watched the children play in the fountains in Bicentennial Park in downtown Columbus. I found comfort in listening to the kids laugh and play in the water. It was a hot day and we found shelter in under a big shade tree and watched Sadie play. As I stared off across the water, I focused on the new Main Street Bridge and thought to my self, This is the ultimate goal in our lives, to get to the other side! I quickly found comfort that the decisions we are making in our lives will lead us to eternal tranquility! 

I hope I have accurately captured the view of the brand new Main Street Bridge from the shelter and comfort of the calm shade as you look across into the reflections in the water and begin to reflect on your own life and realize that the goal in each of our lives is to get to the other side. 

Blessings to all.

11 days to go and I am starting to catch a glimpse of the end of the His Will For Bill Fundraising Raffle. What started as a simple day dream has turned into such a wonderful blessing. I began with an idea that I would raffle off a couple of my paintings and God had such a bigger plan for it.
I am both grateful and humbled by the kindness and generosity that I have been shown over the last two months. I am blessed that this whole event has been a great witness to what the power of prayer and  obedience to the Lord can bring to our lives. 

The first painting I created for the raffle is called Standing Alone. When I became involved in this cause, my number one goal was to make sure that Bill and Tina knew  they were NOT standing alone, but that so many of us cared and wanted to, not only, say we wanted to make a difference, but went out and made a difference!

The second painting I created is called Breaking Through. This painting was so fun to make. I knew that I needed to get out and take some reference photos for all of the upcoming paintings I needed to produce, but just hadn't had the opportunity to get out. This particular day I had about a two hour window that I could go get some shots. This afternoon proved to be magic. Getting the right reference photos is so important and directly effects the final painting in my opinion. Before I left the hospital I prayed and asked God to be with me and open my eyes to the wonders He has created to find just the right shots so that I may create the best paintings possible for this cause. Check out the shot below and decide for yourself whether or not He was with me that afternoon. :)

I am often blown away at just how selfish society can be at times. It often seems the world is designed these days to take advantage of us in every aspect possible. It is wonderful when we have the opportunity to dive in a help someone that is need to see how those around you can pull together and help you do what others say can't be done. For those of you that are close to me you know that I am talking about the His Will for Bill Fundraising Raffle that I designed to help a friend in need. 

I am happy to say that my friend Bill Lalng received his double lung transplant after fighting for every breath while he waited on the transplant list for nearly two years. His surgery went well and he is now recovering on a post transplant ward up in Cleveland. 

I am humbled at the generous nature of my fellow artists and supporters. My artist family chipped in and donated original paintings and reproductions of their beautiful works of art to help me raise money to help with Bill's post transplant related costs. In addition, my close friend Richard Robinson endorsed my efforts and send out a cry for help from his fan-base. We have had a wonderful out-pouring of generosity from all over the world and I am happy to say that I am so close to my original goal that I can taste it! Who woulda thunk! I can only say, Pray BIG prayers and expect BIG results! Our God is good! 


The raffle drawing is on December 10th and tickets are still available. You can make a convenient, secure and tax deductible donation at www.creativemixture.com/His%20Will%20For%20Bill%20Raffle.htm

I cant begin to express how thankful I am for such a generous bunch of individuals.

I have been following Richard Robinson, a mate from New Zealand, for a couple of years on the web. He is an amazing artist that caught my eye by the use of high croma colors with a loose brush, impressionistic (if that's a word:) technique that was soothing to the eye. I was instantly eager to learn from him. I purchased some instructional DVD's from him. I would highly recommend buying a set. Richard has a great teaching style that will keep you wanting to learn. www.livepaintinglessons.com/ 
Richard contacted me about 3 months ago with an idea to start an on line workshop where for $20 we could join, paint the suggested material and learn from each other. The person with the most votes at the end of the month wins Richards original painting and a random artist would be selected to win a set of Richards instructional DVD's. You can join the workshops here: www.thecompleteartist.ning.com/

Here are my entries so far . I will keep you posted on my entries for months to come.

Welcome to my Blog! It is my goal to keep you updated on the happenings of my life in many aspects!
After the birth of our youngest, Sadie, Tracey and I have spent time focusing on our beautiful family. As a result of this, I took a year or so off from painting. I have come back refreshed and with a renewed passion to show the world my interpretation of the beauty that God blesses us with on a daily basis!