groups

1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. (Matthew 2:1-3 KJV)

The Bible doesn't tell us a lot about the Wise Men. We know that they traveled a great distance, brought gifts of faith, and intended to worship the new born "King of the Jews." Interestingly, of the Christmas cards my wife and I have received this year, the Wise Men show up more than any other Christmas theme. I love the story and appreciate the fact that these travelers from the East are a part of our culture.

But I've always been puzzled at the third verse in Mathew's account. The word "troubled" here also gets translated as "agitated" by more than a few scholars. What's odd here is that Herod assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people for a big ole prophecy conference, basically calling together the religious and political control-grid in Jerusalem at that time. Interestingly, they all had one thing in common: They all understood that the announcement of a new star, a rival power, was going to be a direct threat to their power, control, and way of life.

This threat seemed to trump any thoughts about the coming Messiah which was supposed to be so much a part of the hope of Jewish history.

Think about it. You would expect this kind of troubled behavior from a knucklehead like Herod. Yet even before Christ's birth, the phrase : "We will not have this man to reign over us" (Luke 19:14) was the operative thought pattern from the majority of "religious" people then as it was at the end of Christ's life.

This is also the predominant attitude today by both Christians and non-Christians alike who echo the basic beliefs of the rulers and elders of Jerusalem in Herod's day. It's one thing to have the head knowledge of where the Messiah was to be born, as they seemed to have. It's quite another to get on the first train to Bethlehem to worship him.

So enter three wise off-the-grid travelers from the East. I say off the grid because the wise men in question, as the text shows, were true believers like so many other "hidden ones," who are often found in places we would least expect them to be. The Bible tells us that there are many such off-the-gridders (folks like Melchizedek), living in God's grace way off the religious control grid.

But we learn further in this story that the faith of the Wise Men was great. They saw no miracles, heard no great teachings, saw no outward forms of power, yet traveled a great distance and worshiped a helpless baby born in a barn. You can read the Bible from one end to the other and not find greater faith than this. Mark this well. The faith formula for the Wise Men was simple yet profound: Walk in faith, confess him in hope, and be not ashamed of worshipping the Christ Child.

This is the kind of faith we'll all need as America prepares to reap the results of the apostasy and unbelief we've sown. And yet we continually act more like the rulers and elders in Jerusalem than the faithful Wise Men. Even worse, much of America seems to have a vested interest in our current control grid and would be "greatly troubled" for similar reasons if the Messiah was born in a barn in Iowa today.

Yet a quick glance around reveals America is not only in decline, but headed for an outright collapse. So as we get ready to bring in 2012 with all its uncertainties, it's important to remember that we're not in this alone. The best news ever delivered under that new star is that the birth of our Lord provides our great assurance that we have help. He is now here. He is Immanuel, God with us, and in His grace, in faithfulness to His commandments, we can move confidently through the hard times ahead.

That's the good news of this most blessed season.
Merry Christmas

Denver artist Gary Nichols paints the things he enjoys: from golf courses to mountain landscapes to old Midwest tobacco farms, his paintings show an obvious delight in the subject matter.Gary Nichols

Though his watercolors are beautifully detailed, they aren’t about being photorealistic. The manipulation of color, light and shadow are meant to express a feeling. Nichols describes his style of painting as expressionistic. “I try to follow my instinct as to what color to use and where to use it with the sense that color and form does not have to be totally realistic.”

Mystery & Process

“I spent a lot of time in the mountains over the spring, summer, and fall which gave me a lot of inspiration and material for new paintings,” Nichols said. But there’s always a little bit of mystery in these creative endeavors. “I do try to visualize each piece but I don't know exactly how it's going to end up – that's the most exciting part of the process.

Nichols’ newest endeavors are something a little bit different. “Lately (as in the last 6-8 months) I've been doing most of my non-golf paintings on (Fredrix) watercolor canvas which presents its own unique set of challenges. Colors are more intense but the paint sits up on the canvas instead of soaking in as it would on paper. Consequently, you have to factor in more drying time if you're layering your colors as I do.”



Killarney Lighthouse Original painting (28" x 22" framed)



MacDonalds Farm Original painting (24" x 18" framed)



Sleeping Giant Original is painted on watercolor canvas, mounted to stretcher frame



Breckenridge Golf Club, Breckenridge, CO, Bear Course #7



Polo on the driving range, Painted as a commission for a book chronicling the history of sports

Just recently found much interest in monotype printing of nature (ferns, leaves). Does anyone in Eons know how to make a bottle press?

Encaustic painting was developed by the ancient Greek shipbuilders, who used hot wax to fill the cracks in their ships. Soon pigment (color) was added and this led to painting on the surface of the waxed hull: an art form was born.

This technique has been dated to as early as the fourth century B.C. Although wax may appear to be a fragile material, some encaustic paintings from A.D 100-125 survive today in the form of head and shoulder wax portraits set into mummy casings in Greco-Roman Egypt.

To prepare the encaustic medium, I melt beeswax and add damar, a hardening and stabilizing agent, then filter and cool the mixture for later use. It usually takes a day to make up a large batch. For more details see the Encaustic Painting Slide Show.

When I am ready to paint, I melt the wax mixture and add pigment in tins sitting on griddles on my studio table. I use a brush to paint the encaustic onto a panel, which lies horizontally on my table so that the melted wax doesn't run. I paint swiftly, often only a few strokes at a time, for the wax cools very quickly. After I've applied a layer to the panel, I use a propane torch to reheat the wax, smoothing the surface a bit and bonding the new layer to the one below. I continue to build up layers of wax with pigment added, heating it after each layer with the propane torch. This layering lends an ethereal quality that is part of the appeal of an encaustic painting. In some paintings I add other materials—paper, linen, twigs—to create a collage effect. Some paintings have 10 or more layers of wax; others are more gestural in feel and involve less layering.

Start Slide Show

Be sure to open your Eons Insider newsletter this week to read about who's news on Eons. You'll see why!

If you're not already, be sure to subscribe to the Insider: go to your Account Settings / Notifications view link and click Yes for the newsletter. Each week you'll be introduced to new active groups, free games and great people. Enjoy!

If you missed past newsletters, go to the Newsletter Archives view link to catch up and be sure to subscribe to get the next issue.

Ri for EonsTeam

Welcome emom as our new moderator ... her job is to put the entertainment, and discussions back into this group. ... so please welcome her.

Any encaustic painters in this group?

Great Free ARt/Craft marketing tips
IF you'd like 13 Quick, Easy, Low-cost or NO-cost Ways to Turn your Craft into Cash NOW! go to view link