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Title: Heart and Soul Medium: illustration pens on sketch book paper Style: surreal Category: illustration Created: Dec-Jan 2024-2024 Artist: Stephen J. Vattimo Heart and Soul This is preliminary drawing for a painting I am about to begin. The concept for this illustration started as a design for a pumpkin carving contest. I feel the message of the design is so important for people to hear, I decided to make it into a painting. The original design, done in pen and ink. The design only shows the two doors of the entrance to a fortress. It was designed for a live pumpkin carving event in mind. At this type of event, the carver must create their piece of art live on site with spectators watching and asking questions, and there is a time limit. The evolution of the design? I added a wall on each side of the entrance, with matching pillars. Explaining the design of the pillars The triangle top: the triune God. Representing three persons of God: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. The cross shape opening in the pillars: The cross is the only path to God, to have the debt of sin satisfied. To reconcile humankind back to himself. To be released from being a slave to the Devil. To be a new creation empowered by God Spirit. Explaining the design of the entrance way(gate) The top of the entrance is in the shape of a heart, represents the seat of human passion, ambition, and allegiance. The cultic three petal flower is used to represent God in three persons united. The symbol inside the flower: God’s ministry toward humankind. Crown: Highest authority Cross: God’s loving salvation and restoration plan. The dove: Spiritualty made alive, fellowship with God, empowerment to weather the storm of life, and equip for service to God. Change in the design of the door. In the original design, one door had roses carved on it. The pattern took up the whole door. The other door had a grape vine carved on it. The pattern took up the whole door. I modified the emblem on the doors by making them smaller and simplified, so I could place them inside heart shapes, so the new images would more clearly communicate what they are meant to represent. I also added color to the emblems(color pencil) to make them clear of what they are, because of their size and the ink medium ,they were hard to interpret. Understanding the symbol of the two doors. The door with the rose inside the heart emblem represents a heart whose passions, ambitiousness, allegiance are focused on the cares, worries, and abstaining riches of the world. Only giving God lip service. I chose the rose to represent the heart of spiritual allegiance to the world, because roses are pretty, but you can’t eat them to nourish your body. They also have thorns that can cause injury to the body. So, the parallel point is, just as flower fade and turn to dust, so will the person who chases the thing of the world and has no time for God. For life is very short, we know not which will be our last breath on this side of eternity. But if a person leaves this earth without excepting the gift God offered them which is salvation from penalty of sin and given enteral life through the work that was done on the cross by God’s son. Then that soul will appear before Jesus, and just as they did not know him in their life on earth, He will tell them he knows them not. Into the lake of fire, they will spend eternity. The door with the grape vine in the heart emblem represents a heart whose passions, ambitiousness, allegiance are for God. To know Him intimately, to obey His teachings, to serve his will. I chose the grapevine to represent the heart of spiritual allegiance to God, because grapes are nourishing to the body. Jesus also used a grape vine in one of his parables. He paralleled the spiritual relationship he had with his disciples and the grapevine. He told them just as branches of a vine must depend on the base of the vine to live and bare fruit, so they must abide him to have abundant life. Abiding in Christ is not a religious act. It is outside of religion. It is an intimate relationship. Example: you can belong to a fan club of Paul McCartney and know a lot of things you have heard about him, but he doesn’t even know you exist. Where, if Paul is your father, and you have a good parent to child relationship, then you know him intimately. So, abiding in God, we commune with him through read his word and living by its teachings. It is spending time in prayer. Sharing our hearts with God and spending time listing to him. Trusting in him as our provider and giving thanks for his provision. Living our lives, with the purpose of pleasing him with the work of our hand and loving our neighbors in the workplace as well as in the community. Just as a healthy grapevine continues to grow and produce much fruit. Having an imitate relationship with God should be more and more evident in the way we live our lives. So, when the angel of death pays you an unexpected visit, he escorts you to Jesus’s throne, you know for certain he going to welcome you with loving arms and said welcome home my faithful servant. Now to which door I chose for my life? It’s the one that is open. This bible verse one of a couple that inspired me to design this illustration. 1 Corinthians 3:12-13 King James Version 12 Now if any man builds upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble. 13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. This verse is not referring to the rebellious people who have rejected God, this is referring to people who are children of God, who failed to serve God faithful. Written by Stephen J. Vattimo. 3 Jan 2024 .

4x5 littles on wood with acrylic and ink.

This is a pumpkin design I carved for the 2015 Chads Ford Pa. Historical Society's Great Pumpkin Carve. This years design was a upright dove with out stretched wing, and it's bottom portion becomes an upside down bat with it's wing outstretched . I entitled it Peace And Terror. It represents the two realities most countries around the world are experiencing at this time. This year I thank God for helping me discover the most effective tools and carving method that has finally made me a expert pumpkin carver competitor. I have carved three pumpkin this year, and each one get better then the last. I have been in the past used the hammer and chisel method with wood carving tools. My new tools are clay sculpting tools using the shaving method. This design took me about 7 hour straight to complete . I did not get to chose or see the pumpkin I would be carving until the day of the competition. The carve is a live event,meaning you cannot bring a pre- marked or carved pumpkin to the event. This year I believe there were about 75 pumpkin artist who participated in the event. Written by Stephen J.Vattimo Oct 29, 2015

Acrylic on wood

Im gonna start working on BnW pieces a bit more, and I love roller coasters. Enjoy!

Drew these flowers while listening to Willie Nelson this morning. I had to give him some credit in the title.

Oil on wood panel 8”x8”

Painting on wood

Watercolour acorn and oak leaf design on a miniature wooden box.

This is a 3D pumpkin I carved at The Phoenixville Pa. Pumpkin Festival,for the experts carver's completion. This was my first time using the clay sculpting tool to carve with. I used the wood carving tool method for about eight years. The use of the clay tool give the carver more control to be able to do more detail . the wood carving method is chiseling away the pumpkin flesh where the clay sculpting tools method you scrape way the flesh. This the second pumpkin carving contest I have participated in in less then 5 day apart. Now that I have found a method and tools that work far better than my old ones, less see if my pumpkin carving skills can catch up to my artistic skills. Written by Stephen J. Vattimo Oct 24,2015

Inktober 2023 prompt demon- photo reference from Museum- song lyric from Fleetwood Mac

Acrylic on wood

Acrylic on wood

Acrylic on wood

Top: markers & colored pencil Middle: acrylic on wood canvas Bottom: alcohol markers

Image derived from a photo by Yousuf Karsh

Mitch McConnell trick or treating as a southern belle as he does every weekend at the BDSM club, The Woodshed in Orlando Florida. 26.667 ‘ x 21,667” Depth 24 300 pixels/inch

This new Bikes of Amsterdam painting is of this wooden bike I saw (no pun intended) a while back. I thought it was probably owned by a lumberjack although it’s more likely some city hipster type. Either way cool bike. Guess you would need to varnish it every year.

Autumnal narwhals! Also, Kirby’s made a pal…

Head #68 of my 100 Heads.

Challenging myself to do only freehand-in-ink sketching this month. Ink + alcohol markers.

Just trying out my new wood-less watercolor pencils.

This pen-and-ink illustration was done for the cover of a church statement of faith. I named this illustration Foundation of America because I believe this country was founded by Christians who had strong faith in the God of the Bible, and through faith, prayer, and sacrifice, the patriots overcame the mighty British military. By the hand of God, a new nation was born: the United States of America. When the United States was filled with God-fearing people, God raised the country to be a super power, and the world envied the United States and flocked to her shores, the land of freedom and opportunity. Now this country has forgotten the God who gave birth to her and now is setting up new idols to worship: idols of wood, stone, metals that do not hear or see or care. Because the United States has forgotten God, it has been plagued with storms, tornadoes, floods, droughts and her enemies are waging war with her, waiting to celebrate her fall. It is my hope and prayer that people who love this country will return to honoring God and return to giving Him thanks for all the great works He has done for this nation and turn from our sins and follow God by obeying His Word: the Holy Bible. That God will remove His hand of judgment and His blessing may return to our country. This church was fist built in 1890 and is still being used as a church. It is in Norristown, Pennsylvania. This was the first Bible-believing church I attended when I became a Christian. (October 28, 2017)

My art book is available to purchase. To purchase my art book hit the link.thanks for the support.  https://www.artwanted.com/artist.cfm?ArtID=115637&Tab=Books&CPID=1133 Done 2016 with color pencil and ink on 2.5 x 3.5 bristol. It is sketch card. Original art $20+s/h and I am open for commission using color pencil or lead pencil for original artwork. Sizes range from 8.5x11, 9x12, 11x14, 11x17. The Commission rate starts from $20 and up. If your interested leave a comment or jungmeister4@yahoo.com

The materials that Meir uses in her works are not of the refined and so she is called an “arte povere” artist. At times she describes her work as someone dealing in alchemy - work develops as in a trial laboratory with different techniques and materials. She says, “ at times the artistic work process is a sort of puzzle demanding the filling in of all the empty squares “. Some of her work focuses on women, and they incorporate criticism and cultural protest. Meir has strong opinions about recycling and environmental protection that is represented in her works by use of materials and shapes. In her work she reacts to contemporary art that communicates with the eco system, waste, and she also searches for different worlds. Her works are made up of layers upon colorful layers that when we look at them it becomes clear that the mound of waste she chose is not coincidental. It actually becomes a colorful kaleidoscope of utopia. Jaffa Meir is a multifaceted, autodidact artist working in painting, sculpture, photography, product design, carpets and furniture, painting on textile, and computer graphics. The structural composition of some of the works is influenced also by her many years of working in the architects’ office. Meir also worked in the developing of ideas within the field of ecosystems and recycling for factories such as Coca Cola, and during this process came up with ideas for designing parks and public game spaces using industrial waste products.

The materials that Meir uses in her works are not of the refined and so she is called an “arte povere” artist. At times she describes her work as someone dealing in alchemy - work develops as in a trial laboratory with different techniques and materials. She says, “ at times the artistic work process is a sort of puzzle demanding the filling in of all the empty squares “. Some of her work focuses on women, and they incorporate criticism and cultural protest. Meir has strong opinions about recycling and environmental protection that is represented in her works by use of materials and shapes. In her work she reacts to contemporary art that communicates with the eco system, waste, and she also searches for different worlds. Her works are made up of layers upon colorful layers that when we look at them it becomes clear that the mound of waste she chose is not coincidental. It actually becomes a colorful kaleidoscope of utopia. Jaffa Meir is a multifaceted, autodidact artist working in painting, sculpture, photography, product design, carpets and furniture, painting on textile, and computer graphics. The structural composition of some of the works is influenced also by her many years of working in the architects’ office. Meir also worked in the developing of ideas within the field of ecosystems and recycling for factories such as Coca Cola, and during this process came up with ideas for designing parks and public game spaces using industrial waste products.

Meir has strong opinions about recycling and environmental protection that is represented in her works by use of materials and shapes.

12x24 acrylic and ink on wood.