1. 

   
   

   
   1. Dear to the heart of the Shepherd,
   Dear are the sheep of his fold;
   Dear is the love that he gives them,
   Dearer than silver or gold.
   Dear to the heart of the Shepherd,
   Dear are his "other" lost sheep;
   Over the mountains he follows,
   Over the waters so deep.
2. (Chorus)
   Out in the desert they wander,
   Hungry and helpless and cold;
   Off to the rescue he hastens,
   Bringing them back to the fold. (4th verse only: we'll hasten,)
3. 2. Dear to the heart of the Shepherd,
   Dear are the lambs of his fold;
   Some from the pastures are straying,
   Hungry and helpless and cold.
   See, the Good Shepherd is seeking,
   Seeking the lambs that are lost,
   Bringing them in with rejoicing,
   Saved at such infinite cost.
4. 3. Dear to the heart of the Shepherd,
   Dear are the "ninety and nine";
   Dear are the sheep that have wandered
   Out in the desert to pine.
   Hark! he is earnestly calling,
   Tenderly pleading today:
   "Will you not seek for my lost ones,
   Off from my shelter astray?"
5. 4. Green are the pastures inviting;
   Sweet are the waters and still.
   Lord, we will answer thee gladly,
   "Yes, blessed Master, we will!
   Make us thy true under-shepherds;
   Give us a love that is deep.
   Send us out into the desert,
   Seeking thy wandering sheep."
6. Text: Mary B. Wingate, 1899-1933. 
   Music: William J. Kirkpatrick, 1838-1921.

If I wasn't committed to making these twelve pieces available to you before Christmas, I would definitely be keeping this one for myself. I was in love with this market stand of flowers when I saw it, and I am still in love with every bit of it even in a painting. I took the photograph for this painting in a little, beautiful shop in a small town in Victoria, Australia. (It was one of my favorite days that we spent in Australia too!) I walked in and was overwhelmed by the floral station set up in the back corner. It had the most marvelous light casting onto the wild, bursts of colors. I (bravely, because she was busy and strikingly intimidating) asked the shop owner if I could snap a photo. She said yes, and I took about 10. . . that was about 9 more photos than I planned to take. Little embarrassed, but I lived. Someday, my dream is to have a flower patch that I can harvest each year to look just like this. My painting collection would be extra happy because of it, don't you think?

This painting will be available in my shop by 5pm CST, 12.4.15. Check back tomorrow, as always, for another painting! :)

And don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY! for your chance to win an original watercolor of mine. Ends Dec. 12th! Good luck!

Today is third day of my painting series. I'm feeling so grateful for the response so far!! This painting of the oak trees was one that I absolutely was itching to paint. That seems to be the case with every painting in this series. I love that morning light and messy dew-dropped grass. I wanted to be right there frolicking in it as I was painting.

Hope you have been enjoying this series, too!

Both of these paintings are available in my shop as of 6pm CST, 12.3.15. And as always, check back tomorrow for another! :)

And don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY! for your chance to win an original watercolor of mine. Good luck!

Day two of my twelve days of painting was wonderful to work on. I'm not sure what the sudden draw to watercolors for me has been, but there's is an iridescent, over-all lighted touch to the finished paintings that I am simply adoring. I did a study from life of these pomegranates (if you follow me on Instagram you may have seen it!), but this finished painting is one that I have long been wanting to create. It may be the nostalgia of home that seeing and picking (and painting, I should say) fruit fresh from the tree, but these pomegranates really sang to me when I saw them. Moments like that come and it's no longer a "want" to paint something but a "need." 

This painting is available in my shop. Check back tomorrow for the second painting! :)

And don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY! for your chance to win an original watercolor of mine. Good luck!

The first painting for the 12 days of Paintings and Christmas means so much to me. It's of the most beautiful iris flower farm near my home where I grew up. Every year they have a "paint out" where artists flood their farm and gardens to paint the scenery. I would go there and participate, and it was always so magical. I started my art career around that age and time, and I still gain momentum thinking of those experiences.

I had a photo tucked away in my files of the iris farm in the early morning, and over the years I've been wanting to paint it. When I was gathering my images and places to paint these next twelve days, this image came to mind immediately! It's always special to finally paint a piece that has been in my mind for years, even more special when it holds so much significance.

This painting is available in my shop. Check back tomorrow for the second painting! :)

And don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY! for your chance to win an original watercolor of mine. Good luck!