Portrait of a Baseball Fan

My latest commission,  a portrait of a young fan, in pastel from photographs.  At this point I have not had the pleasure of meeting this handsome young man.  I have painted all three grandchildren in this particular family, each of them wearing a St. Louis Cardinal's shirt. The red color is eye catching, a little tough to do in pastel.  Cardinal fans are very, very loyal, and they start quite young.

Painting this picture brought back memories and a little nostalgia for me. My Dad was also  Cardinal's fan and spent many happy hours watching the games on television.  He lived with us for the last seven years of his life, and we knew when the Cardinals were playing because he would start to sing, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game."  What a great day for him, when his beloved team won the World Series!  He won the bragging rights over his sister who lives in Chicago. Funny how it is the little things that you miss...

My roots are in portraiture, and for many years I considered myself a portrait artist. Capturing faces on canvas or paper is still a great adventure for me. It is a little more challenging than other types of art, but what a great feeling when you know that you finally "got 'em!" 

Landscape Meadow Oil Painting by Della Burgus

In Green Pastures

Oil on Canvas

18 x 24

A large oil painting of the peaceful meadow Larry and I see when we drive to his parents' home in southern Iowa. We have been working on the house for more than three years now and we are hoping to sell it soon.   I will miss the lovely scenery but not the long trips, the hard work, nor the drain on our bank account that results from paying two sets of utility bills and property taxes.  We like to think that our "burden" will someday become another person's blessing.

The title is, of course, from Psalm 23:2, "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures."  At least that is the way I learned it as a child.  The passage has always had a special meaning for me, because there was a pasture on the farm where I grew up.  I spent hours there "alone," dreaming, imagining, and talking with Jesus. That is how I learned to pray.  These days it seems there are many times when He has to "maketh me to lie down in green pastures."   When deadlines, disappointments and demands overwhelm me,  He says,  "Come away for a while, rest your mind and spirit."  Then I reluctantly put down my work and my worries to spend time with Him in a quiet place. Soon the troubles of the world begin to melt away and all those things that seemed terribly important just don't matter so much any more. But there are other times when He doesn't have to "maketh" me to lie down- when I am so weary of the world and its harshness, when even those closest to me don't understand or seem to care. That's when I run to the green pasture in search of Him and His peace,  and He wraps His arms around me and assures me that everything is in His hands.  

This is the first new painting I have posted in a while and the first landscape in a long, long time.  It was painted on  a large stretched canvas and will need a frame.  I am offering it both framed and unframed. It will be posted on Art Helping Animals and Daily Painters as well as Chisholm Trail Art.
For more info, email me.  dellartist@yahoo.com

Now, go find yourself some green pastures and lie down!