A Wonderful Weekend at Falling Leaves

A Wonderful Weekend at Falling Leaves

 

I’m still getting things back together in my studio from exhibiting at the Falling Leaves Art Tour, over the weekend. I had a great time! Sold several prints of my paintings and picked up a few commissions. I thank God for that!

Here was my display on a wall of stacked firewood. It’s always interesting to try to hang artwork on it…:)

 

 

 

 

The best part of all were the great conversations I had and being able to stay at my friend and fellow artist Ron La Blanc’s house in Augusta, WI and just hang out. Always a blessed time. They make me feel like part of the family. 🙂

Here is a photo I snapped of their backyard. The colors are just intense at this time of year!

 

 

 

Fall in Wisconsin can get cold! So we had a little outdoor wood stove to keep us warm!

 

 

Ron La Blanc’s son Travis supplied the muscle power to get the wood small enough to fit in!

 

 

 

Here is Ron chatting with a friend (and customer) about his pottery…

 

 

I prepared a few more prints of my painting “Smoldering Wick.” I sold one of them, and several others, at the show.

 

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But soon enough, it was over. And now we have a regular wood stack again!

 

 

It was a wonderful weekend again this year. I’m looking forward to next year…it goes by very fast! Thank you to all who came out to the tour this year. God bless you!

Have a blessed day and I’ll be in touch,

 

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New Book Cover Illustration

New Book Cover Illustration

Here is a book I Illustrated for Aneko Press, a Christian book publisher from Abbotsford, Wis.

It’s about a missionary who was kidnapped by guerilla soldiers while serving in Columbia. Later, they release him, and he returns to help them work out a peace solution between rival military forces vying for control within the impoverished countryside.

The painting is an approximately 9″ x 12″, acrylic on illustration board.

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Here is the final cover layout for the book. It is available at Aneko Press.

Rescue the Captors 2

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Have a blessed day,

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If you have any comments or questions about what I wrote, please leave me your feedback below at the very bottom of the page! I will personally get back to you.
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[Light Arises in the Darkness] Chapter 2, Part 2: Where Will You Go?

[Light Arises in the Darkness] Chapter 2, Part 2: Where Will You Go?

When your world is caving in…when you’re at the end of your rope…WHERE will you go to find relief from the pain?

That’s what I’m talking about today.

In my last post, I shared with you the first part of the second chapter for my book I’m currently writing, Light Arises in the Darkness: How to Go Through Suffering and Experience Incredible Joy.We discussed why it is so important to acknowledge your suffering, and how that can pave the way for you to “stop the bleeding” and experience a true sense of peace and joy.

Okay, so you’re feeling the pain, and you’re not hiding it anymore. Now what? Let’s talk about that.

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Light Arises in the Darkness

How to Go Through Suffering and Experience Incredible Joy

Copyright 2017 by Matt Philleo. All rights reserved.


(To help you navigate through the book. I’ll be including links below to various posts…)

CONTENTS

Introduction

  1. Why is there Suffering
    Part 1
    Part 2
  2. Acknowledging Your Suffering
    Part 1
  3. Suffering Caused by Financial Problems
  4. Suffering Caused by Health Problems
  5. Suffering Caused by Loss Problems
  6. Suffering Caused by Relationship Problems
  7. Suffering Caused by Internal Problems
  8. Seeking the Lord in Your Suffering
  9. Responding to His Presence and Encouragement
  10. Becoming an Encourager

“”Where do you run for help? When you are in trouble, what is your first instinct? Do you run to others or to God? Is it usually the counsel of another rather than the counsel found in waiting upon God in prayer? Why is this the way it is? Why do we run to man before we run to God?”- Kay Arthur


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Where will you go?

I don’t think there’s anything wrong in getting advice from trusted friends or counselors, because God can speak to us in various ways, but your first and primary source should be God, direct. Think for a moment, in your own life.

When things go south, where do you go first for help?

I’ll admit, when I have a deep question about something, I all too often visit Google first!

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You may find some temporary relief in these other sources, but it will only be temporary. There is only one place to turn to for true, permanent relief, and that is in the pages of the Bible. There, you will discover the author of those pages longing to heal your hurts and fill you with a joy you never thought possible. But, before that can happen, you need to seek Him. Now that’s a prescription that cannot fail. It may take some time, though.

For sure, it’s much easier to read an article out of the O! magazine and glean some helpful tidbits on living a better life, than to turn to the God of the universe, sincerely seek Him, and wait for the reply.

The real cure is worth the wait, however.

Do you feel like a 3…or a 7?

Let’s use the doctor’s office metaphor again. You’re in mild to severe (but probably not excruciating) pain, and finally after the annoyingly long wait, you’re taken by the nurse into the doctor’s room. She asks you a few cursory questions, you answer her quickly, glancing at your cellphone, noticing the time and how much you have to get done yet today.

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“Just give me the flipping prescription!” you think to yourself.

She finishes her questions and then…another wait.

Finally, the doctor bursts in, looking much more rushed for time than the nurse. He asks you some of the same exact questions the nurse just did. You’re thinking, “Don’t you people even communicate with each other?”

You’re tempted just to answer briefly so you can get out of there and still make it to the next meeting on time.

But hold on. Don’t do that.

What you tell the doctor is an integral part of getting the correct diagnosis–and treatment. If you tell the doctor your pain is a “three” when it’s actually a “seven”, and it hurts in your back, when actually your back and your abdomen is in pain, the doctor may not be able accurately locate your source of discomfort.

During your trial, it’s the same thing. Don’t rush this part. Take some time, and talk to God. I’m going to assume you have some sort of relationship with God. But if you don’t, you can, through Jesus Christ. (I’ll talk about that more in Chapter 7)

You may find some temporary relief in other sources, but it will only be temporary. There is only one place to turn to for true, permanent relief, and that is in the pages of the Bible.

Be real with God. Share your feelings–He can handle them. However there is a caveat: as you get to know God and His character through praying, reading the Bible, and living the life He wants you to, you would not be wise to accuse Him of wrongdoing as you vent your frustrations!

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In other words, share your heart, but do it with an attitude of respect. With all that you say, keep in mind that God is good and perfect in everything He does. If He seems to be harsh, unloving, aloof, or mistaken in His dealings with you, He’s not.

That’s just the way you feel.

But our feelings often are not in sync with reality. The Bible says, “Let God be true and every man be a liar.” If we think God is wrong, we are the ones who are wrong. Getting this correct perspective about the infallibility of God will help you receive the encouragement He longs to give you.

“Why should I talk to God about my problems?” you ask. “Doesn’t he already know?”

Of course He does. But he longs for us to communicate to Him. You often know when your child wants something, but don’t you like to hear them ask for it? Also, as we pour our hearts out before the Lord, we can often recognize something about ourselves that we wouldn’t have otherwise. We can even speak things that are like a sermon to ourselves (especially if it’s based on scripture) and it will bring encouragement to us as if it were from the very mouth of God!

Have a blessed day,

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Share Your Thoughts!

If you have any comments or questions about what I wrote, please leave me your feedback below at the very bottom of the page! I will personally get back to you.
Can you help me spread the word? Please share this post with your family and friends by using the social media links on the side or at the bottom of this page. Thank you!

I invite you to become a part of my Reader’s Review Group and I’ll let you know whenever I have a new section on the book written. Also, you will receive a discount on the actual book when it’s published. Join today!
A Good Friday Video Presentation on My Mural

A Good Friday Video Presentation on My Mural

Easter is almost here. Tonight is Good Friday!

In this special Good Friday/ Easter presentation, I show a 4′ x 28′ mural me and another artist, Dave Mattison, painted in 2013, depicting the Gospel from Genesis to Revelation.

Through the video, I talk about the significance of the cross and the resurrection, why we need what Jesus did for us, and how it can benefit us.

Enjoy!

 

Dave Mattison and Matt Philleo, artists.

Dave Mattison, left, and Matt Philleo, members of Bethel Church in Eau Claire, created a seven-panel mural depicting significant events in Christian history, including Christ’s Crucifixion. In mid-December, the artists both of Eau Claire hung the mural in the church. The two posed on March 27, 2013, with the painting. Leader Telegram photo, by Dan Reiland. Used with permission.

 

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Have a Blessed Good Friday and a Happy Easter/ Resurrection Sunday!

All the best,

Matt

 

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If you have any comments or questions about what I wrote, please leave me your feedback below! I will personally get back to you. Can you help me spread the word? Please share this post with your family and friends by using the social media links on the side or below. Thank you!

 

My New Old Art Studio

My New Old Art Studio

Moving back into your old studio is like seeing a long lost friend after a hiatus. At the end of January, I moved out of Artisan Forge Studios, convinced it was God’s will for me to leave.

 

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It wasn’t easy. It was hard to move out of the place where I created art for two years, met some amazing people, and started teaching art classes, both in person and online.

Like any move, you pack up the things you don’t need as much, and then keep the things you do, so you can keep living and working. My paints, brushes, and palette were the last things to go.

 

Setting Up Again

Then there was the process of setting up again in my house–in my vacant upstairs room. Well, almost vacant. We had a few things stored there. Some bins of clothing and other odds and ends. Those got moved into the basement. And that made room for the plethora of items from my studio.

I had seven large plastic strong boxes, and three or four cardboard boxes filled with art supplies, canvases, drawing paper, paints, books, and…stuff. Because the room is pretty small, it made going through it challenging. Everything needed to have a home.

 

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I have to admit, when everything was in disarray, and things were taking longer than I had hoped to set up—I wanted to give up more than a few times.

Why did you move out of Artisan Forge? This is crazy!

But I kept telling myself, “I followed God’s will for me, and this will all work out.” I prayed for God to help me keep my head straight.

But I still had a lot of stuff–and not a lot of storage space.

What to do?

More shelving! I noticed that I had a lot of wasted vertical space in my stairwell. From the bottom of the stairs to the top of the ceiling, there was about 12′ of space. I thought, wouldn’t it be nice to get some shelves in there?

But how would I access them? A ladder? No, that would be too risky, trying to reach and brings things down. I needed a platform.

So, I went off to Menards, bought some lumber and built a platform. One side of the stairwell already had a ledge that could support weight. So I built one on the other side to match–fastened with some very long, beefy screws.

 

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When not in use, the platform can lean against the wall, held by the rail and hooks.

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And then, it can lay down flat when I need something from the shelf.

Problem solved!

 

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Of course, my kids realized we now had a new floor in our house, so they had to get in on the action and check it out. (I tested it first!)

 

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The next step was to put in the shelves.

 

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And of course, fill them up with stuff.

 

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Home (Studio) Improvement

I made a couple improvements from the last time I was working in this room. Originally, the room had no door. The doorway is only 24″ wide, so not too many doors can fit a space like that. But I need to make sure the room is assoundproof as possible, so when I record an online class, there’s not any sounds of children yelling or the blender grinding, or whatever else goes on in a house.

It doesn’t hurt to cut down on energy costs while trying to heat up the room either.

Here is the door I quickly built from plywood and backed with styrofoam insulation.

The outside…

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And the inside. I have yet to paint it.

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That can wait.

 

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Lighting it Up

My budget for supplies has increased since last time as the Lord has blessed my business, so I bought some extra clamp lamps that I attached to the heavy welded lamp structure built by Dean Glenzer, an metal sculpturist from Artisan Forge Studios. And then I filled the sockets with 100 watt equivalent LED bulbs–nine of them.

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It’s almost as bright as a football stadium when they’re all lit up! Which is just how I like it. You can’t paint any better than what you can see. We artists need good lighting to produce good art.

Getting it Together

After getting my lights up, my drafting table, paint cart and easel back in place, I decided to move my computer from the downstairs floor to the upstairs. That way, I can record an online course, edit the video, and upload it all from the same area. Which in theory, should save me a lot of time.

I can’t tell you how many times I recorded a video at my studio (back in Artisan Forge) and then wanted to edit it later in the evening on my computer at home–only to find out I left my memory card at the studio!

Just another trip, that’s all.

But no more.

So I moved my computer up. That wasn’t so hard. Next, I called the cable guy to come out and hook up a new jack for internet service. But it wouldn’t be that easy. He said that that it would cost a lot more than what was quoted over the phone to fish a cable through two floors from the basement.

 

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“How about if I just bought some RG-6 cable and ran it from the downstairs to the upstairs? Would it work?”

“It would work,” he said. “But if we came out to your house for anything, we didn’t do it.”

So, that’s what I did. I could have gone out to Best Buy or Walmart to get the cable, but I felt like visiting an old friend.

Indianhead Electronics Supply in Eau Claire is a quaint little store that sells television parts and cables from a time before I was born. It’s like going into a historical museum: transistors, cathode ray tube pieces, antennas, bulbs, and all kinds of crazy things adorned the peg-board shelves.

 

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I first met the owner, a nice older lady by the name of Judith, a few years ago when I needed to buy an old part for an antenna, so I could get free digital TV. At the time, some people were trying to steal the business away from her, and I prayed with her. She kept the business, and we stayed in touch.

I lumbered down the old stairs. Her dog greeted me racously, and we caught up.

“Do you have some RG-6 cable?” I asked.

“In the back,” she said. She got out this ancient cast iron machine that looked like a sausage grinder meets garden hose reel, and started spooling cable.

I thought I would just walk in and buy a 25′ foot cable, in a nice package. You know, like you do at Best Buy. But no.

She wound up the cable, cut it, and then gave me some metal connectors for the ends.

“I’ve never spliced coax cable before,” I said.

“Oh, it’s easy. You just cut it and crimp the ends on. Use your mystery machine and it will show you how.”

Mystery machine?

“I don’t use a cellphone or anything like that,” she added.

I shrugged. “Well, I can look up how to do it on YouTube, I guess.”

Is there anything you can’t learn how to do on YouTube? (Pretty soon, we’ll be able to say that about D-Tube and D-Live)

 

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Would it work? I hooked one end up to the cable downstairs, and then ran it up.

 

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I hooked it up to the modem, and then plugged in my router for wi-fi. It took a call to the cable company for them to change a setting on the modem, but everything was go!

 

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I have direct internet in my studio now!

Finally, with everything set up, I’m feeling great. I got back to my commissions in full this week, and finished a drawing. More on that later.

 

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Finished!

I am really looking forward to increased art production, now that everything is set up: to serve my clients with commissions, my students with art tutorials and courses, and my collectors with new fine art.

Thank you for your encouragement along this journey!

All the best,

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Farewell to the Forge

Farewell to the Forge

 

“You’ll have to use your imagination,” she said.

“I can do that,” I replied. “I’m an artist.”

The coordinator, Jackie Boos, unfolded the vision of what this place called Artisan Forge Studios, would become. I thought the vision was compelling. And so after some thought and prayer, I signed on as a renter at the beginning of 2016.

It’s amazing that just a little over two years ago, I moved my art business from my home into this diesel truck service center-turned high scale art gallery.

 

 

It didn’t take long for the building to transform into one of Eau Claire’s best places to go to see local fine art. With it, I met a lot of fantastic artists, built some great relationships, sold artwork, and even started teaching classes.

 

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I had no idea that I would be able to teach until I came to Artisan Forge Studios. Other artists–sculptors and welders–were teaching, and someone asked if I would teach a class.

 

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“I’ll give it a try,” I said.

I had such a good time, I decided to do more.

Artisan Forge changed a lot in two years–starting with just a handful of artists and growing to include more than 40 of the area’s best talent. My art business grew as well. I gained more clients, built relationships with local artists and collectors, and art students. I had the chance to share my art–and my faith as a Christian–with hundreds since I’ve been there, in person, and in some public speaking engagements.

 

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And even though I’ve enjoyed being at “the Forge,” I decided to bid farewell.

 

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Why?

It started with this…

Toward the end of last year, my wife and I were discussing our goal of moving out of the city and buying a home in the country (in the Eau Claire area.)  She has always been a country girl. I’m more of a city slicker. But after many years of being in town, I long for the open vistas of nature, and I especially want my children to enjoy that as well.

And it would be a perfect place to set up a studio.

 

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We were pre-approved for a home purchase, but we still have some debts to pay off. So, to trim some expenses, the idea of cutting out studio rent seemed like a plausible idea. I still have a spare room in my home that’s not being used. So, it would be possible to move back in.

But to leave the Forge was nearly unthinkable. How could I leave the place when things were going so well?

 

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“Why don’t you just pray about it?” my wife suggested.

Seemed like a good idea. It never hurts to pray.

I had just as many reasons to stay than I did to go. Maybe even more reasons to stay, depending on how you spin the “pros and cons” plate. But I figured, “Let’s see what God has to say about it.”

When I pray for God’s direction, I almost always have a Bible in front of me. He speaks to me out of that book. It’s amazing. The Bible itself says…

“Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.” (Psalm 119:133)

At the middle of November, after going to church, I asked God, “Do you want me to leave Artisan Forge?”

I opened up my Bible and started reading. Immediately, this passage jumped out at me. In fact, I think it was the first page I opened to.

“Leave, leave, go out from there!…” (Isaiah 52:11)

Hmm. Interesting. Could it be, Lord, that you want me to actually leave?

I thought about it, but I wasn’t sure. I prayed again a few more times, and I saw glimpses of verses that seemed to say the same thing: “Go.” But I still wanted more assurance. This was a big decision.

 

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“I believe God will make it clear to you if you seek Him diligently,” my mother-in-law (the one who encouraged me to do art full time) advised me.

Made my choice. Stamped it.

Finally, it was the end of November. I needed to find out for sure if it was God’s will for me to leave Artisan Forge Studios, so I could give them adequate notice, and maybe be out by the end of the year.

I had to make a decision. I dropped to my knees in the studio, and opened up my Bible. And quickly, my eyes landed on Romans 15:23…

“But now I have finished my work in these regions, and after all these long years of waiting, I am eager to visit you.”

It wasn’t just the verse itself that spoke to me, but the feeling I got when I read it. I felt peace. It was like God was saying to me, “You’ve served here faithfully. Now your time here is done.”

OK, Lord. I don’t want you to have to hit me over the head with this. I’m making my decision. I’m leaving. I’ll give them notice today.

That was two months ago. Christmas brought in a lot of commissions, so I figured I’d wait until the hoopla was over to really begin taking down my studio and setting up again in my home. During the packing up process, I have to say I second-guessed my decision more than just a few times.

Man, this is crazy. I’m going backwards. I left my house to come here as an artist. And now I’m going back?

 

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But then I thought: Going back to the place you came from can also be forward progress too.

Didn’t the Israelites go back to the Promised Land after being in Egypt for 400 years? Didn’t the Jews go back to their homeland after being in Babylon for 70 years? And didn’t Jesus return back home after being on earth for 33 years?

I made my decision. I’m not looking back. I’m walking by faith and not by sight. To me, it’s more important to follow God’s leading than to have it all figured out.

And so, I am saying “farewell to Artisan Forge.” I’m leaving on good terms and plan on keeping in touch with the wonderful people there, but right now the future is wide open to many possibilities.

Wherever God leads me.

I’ll walk by faith.

I can’t see what lies ahead of me.

 

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That’s okay. I can use my imagination.

 

Be blessed and I’ll be in touch,

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Share Your Thoughts!

If you have any comments or questions about what I wrote, please leave me your feedback below! I will personally get back to you. Can you help me spread the word? Please share this post with your family and friends by using the social media links on the side or below. Thank you!

 

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