Here are a few shots of the paintings that were donated for the Art Auction (click on each photo to see larger). Photographs do not do these pieces justice; we were so impressed by the caliber of artwork at this year's event. These artists are simply amazing, and we are so grateful for their gift of time and talent to help the children in Ghana.

In no certain order...

The talented Cash Teague painted this piece, which happened to be my personal favorite of the night. (Yes, I am allowed to have a favorite, though I would hang any of these on my wall.)

Cash also donated this beautiful watercolor of a boy on Lake Volta. A man of many talents.

Oil painting by Donita Brooks – beautiful work!

My own piece. Not my favorite I've ever done, but I certainly enjoyed working on it and learned a lot in the process.

Jeff Hankins, a fellow artist from ComChurch put together this piece. Love his graphic style!

My pal Mark Fansler of McKinney painted this incredible piece, our largest at 30"x40". The use of color and texture and blending is absolutely astounding. Angela and I "may have" tried this one out above the fireplace mantle before taking it to the auction!

Randy Brown sent 3 beautiful pieces for the evening all the way from Canyon. This one we actually auctioned off on FB Friday before the event.

Randy's second piece... love the composition here.

... and the third. This watercolor was the painting of the night. The details in the boat, trees, and water are incredible!

Last but not least, the paintings from Ghana. This piece was put together using handprints from the children of Adovepke who will be in our first rescued group of kids this fall.

"Hope" was put together by the Adovepke kids as well as several children of other villages out working on Lake Volta.

What amazing talent! We were so blessed by the generosity of our artists this year and could not have had a successful event without their help. Thank you all for using your gifts for Kingdom things!

Better late than never, I say. It's a good thing keeping up on here isn't part of my job responsibilities!

So, the Art Auction was amazing – successful financially as well as helped us spread the word about the kids in Ghana to many new faces. We keep saying this, but it keeps ringing true: God continues to show up in the work of Mercy Project.

About 160 people attended the event. We auctioned off 10 large paintings and several silent auction items, helping bring our grand total for the evening to around $20,000. Fantastic! We enjoyed having the extra space at Briarcrest Country Club and really enjoyed the ease of set-up on Saturday afternoon, thanks to several great helpers. One of the best parts of the evening was being able to premiere a video made by the talented Brandon Jones that included footage from Lake Volta and the villages where we are working. It's really powerful to be able to show our supporters what the in-country work actually looks like. We were so blessed to have that!

Here are a few shots from the evening:

Welcome table walking in...

Table set-up...

New MP brochure and picture of a trafficked child at each setting...

Incredible wood logo cut-out made by Josh Marion...

Beautiful quilt made by my grandmother for the silent auction...

Photos and info on Ghana...

Introducing staff...

Getting ready to auction those paintings...

Overall, such a rewarding evening. We are supported and encouraged by so many people near and far, and so very grateful for the chance to share and celebrate what the Lord is doing in our lives.

Well, the end is in sight. Two more days until the Mercy Project Art Auction, and we could not be more excited. We have some really amazing things planned to share with the 164 attendees. All the last minute preparations are coming together, and it's going to be a great evening of celebrating the things God has been doing through Mercy Project.

"Last minute preparations" equates to finishing a painting for me. I haven't quite wrapped this one up, but here's a little glimpse at what I've been up to. The piece is about the transformation that we desire for each child on the lake in Ghana. Hopefully it will all come together tonight... or tomorrow...

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Speaking of Ghana, we leave two weeks from today for our next trip! We're taking a group of 15 over this time around to help implement the next economic development project. This will be our first run at aquaculture as well as in our first village with trafficked kids, Adovepke. The second half of the week will be spent working/teaching/playing at a children's rehabilitation shelter where the kids will go when they come off the lake.

Each day leading up to the trip, all our group members are reading and reflecting on Micah 6:6-8. A verse I've read so many times and yet is still as powerful as the first time I heard it. If you've never had a child recite this verse to you, find one you can teach it to; it'll provide a new perspective and change the way you think about learning to be a person of justice and mercy.

1. Easter smiles and egg dying (egg dying is an art, right?)

       

2. 100 Things Photography List. My personal favs: 

*Always shoot in RAW. Always.

*Print out your photos big. They will make you happy.
*Candid>Posed.
*The best photographs tell stories that beg the viewer for more.

I've been thinking about how I need to spend some time expanding my learning on all things photog – i.e. lighting, exposure, etc. This list got me really excited about that.

3. For the first time, I find myself on the other side of the design process: I have become "the client". This has been a good thing for me, a good area of growth and learning. But I also find it challenging to give feedback without design directing. Note to self: There's a very good reason why you're not the designer on this project. And repeat. Here's hoping I can remember that and not be categorized as "one of those" clients.

4. On the coattails of #3, I love getting to know other brilliant designers. It makes me want to push my own work further and better my skills. It encourages my creativity and gets me excited about being artistic. Sometimes that's hard to come by when I'm not immersed in the creative world on a day-to-day basis.

5. On the coattails of #4, I have come to the conclusion that it's ok to not be designing/painting/creating every single day. That was one of my greatest fears in leaving Dallas, but I have realized that it simply makes me want to do a better job on the projects I do undertake. It's incredibly affirming.

6. Gearing up for our next fundraising event – our 2nd Annual Art Auction in mid-June. I am rounding up artists and planning a few of my own pieces/photographs for the event. As hectic (insert: overwhelming) as this event was for me last year – as I planned in addition to a full-time job – I am stoked about having more time to devote to the event this year. Know any artists? Send 'em my way!

7. I would like to come up with something like this. My track record for keeping plants alive is pretty sketchy, but who's to say I shouldn't keep trying? Plus these are just awesome; expensive, but awesome. I'm thinking more along the lines of a Goodwill or garage sale container in lieu of these $150+ pieces of work. One of these days that will be a weekend project. Because I don't currently have enough weekend projects.

8. I stumbled across illustrator Brian Hubble the other day. Wow. Love his work. This style is one idea I have for an auction piece, though I doubt it would turn out anywhere near the same. I'd like to know how many layers he's got on this one:



9. The latest project of mine: a paper mobile made out of Degas images. Nothing fancy, but I really like his work and amazing figure studies. Brilliant leader in the Impressionist era, though he preferred to be categorized as a realist. He also worked in photography and sculpture. Just a little art history for ya.



10. Not art related, but because I can't end on #9, I've been reading this book called 7. It's humorous and convicting and really good. "We cannot carry the gospel to the poor and lonely while emulating the practices of the rich and powerful."

 

I was a pretty terrible sculpture student. Unfortunately, the class was a requirement for all art degrees, and while the professor was one of my favorites, my 3D abilities were quite lacking. My projects usually went like this: don't know what to do... don't have any ideas... can't think of anything... 48 hours til the due date... GREAT IDEA!... execution... class critique.... epic fail. All my "brilliancy" down the drain as I looked over the other student's work and realized that my piece better fit an elementary school art project. Bronze was my only saving grace – and even that was a stretch.

And so, I appreciate great sculpture. I think it takes a very unique mind to come up with some of the amazing and innovative pieces we see today. I came across this really creative sculptor via this really great illustrator's site earlier today. Pretty incredible. 

This clever piece, titled Scarp, uses 5,000 articles of clothing – on loan from Goodwill. It's a comment on American consumerism and the overflow of landfills. More info here.

And this one – Military Carving By the Book – is an army man replica made out of books that were written on the subject of war. War opinions aside, it's pretty ingenious. Oh, and it's hollow so that transportation would be easier. Found here.

A little Friday inspiration. Cheers!