For most, it’s a wonderful time of getting together with family and eating delicious home-cooked meals, maybe watch a football game. It’s also a great time to think about…what are you thankful for?
Here are the top 10 things that I am thankful for.
1. God.I am still amazed, after nearly 18 years of being a Christian, that God still loves me and has stuck with me.
I know some may say, “of course He loves you. He’s God.” But I know my own failings, my own sins all too well. And God knows more. I don’t deserve His mercy, but rather His punishment for my sins. And yet, amazingly, through Jesus Christ, He has thrown my sins into the sea of forgetfulness, cast them as far as the east is from the west, sealed them up in a bag, cleansed them and made them whiter that snow.
I continue to find new promises of God’s love and mercy all the time within the pages of my Bible, and more circumstances in life that He has walked with me through.
“Bethel Mural: The Gospel from Genesis to Revelation,” 4′ x 28′, acrylic on hardboard, by David Mattison and Matt Philleo, 2013, panel 4, detail
Not long ago, someone urged me to give up on my trust in Jesus.
“How can I?” I replied. “I’ve walked with Him, and I’ve talked with Him. He has been with me all this time.”
If you count yourself a Christian, it’s not just that you get a ticket punched for heaven.
No.
You get God.
And that is the best of all. As author John Piper puts it, “God is the Gospel.”
2. My wife. I owe so much of who I am as a full time artist today, to my beautiful wife of fifteen years.
She has put up with all of my idiosyncrasies as an artist–my ramblings about my latest art idea, and lofty views on life. She has fed me well, so that I have fuel to move my brush on the canvas. 🙂 She has endured several occasions of barely making rent. She has prompted me to pray, trust God, and see provision flow in miraculously. She has encouraged me to keep on painting and not give up on what God has created me to do.
My wife is an amazing mother too. When I see how she cares for her children–the sacrifice and love she pours into them, I am still amazed!
3. My children and family. It’s so wonderful to tuck your children to bed at night, kiss them on the cheek after reading a Bible story and praying with them. They have the best questions and their simple faith in God can amaze you. The Bible says “Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him.” (Psalm 127:3)
“Come as Children,” 16 x 20, acrylic on canvas portrait, Copyright 2017 by Matt Philleo, artist.
I am thankful for my family: my dad, my mom, my three brothers and sisters. A lot of who I am as an artist and Christian, I owe to them. My mom encouraged me to do artwork as a child, when she asked me to draw pictures for her newsletter at age 9. When I was 14, she brought a friend over to our house and I did my first paid commissioned portrait for her.
My mother-in-law encouraged me to do art full time as an adult. At age 32, I had a dead-end job that took me away from my family for days on end. Her “tough love” words shocked me into life, and set me on a course to finally pursue my dream of being a full time artist.
My brothers and sister (and her husband) encouraged me to draw and also built me up in my new faith as a Christian.
4. My church.I remember how, after my dad had passed away the pastor of my church took up a collection for us to be able to go down to his funeral. They collected over $500 in one day, from a church with only 50-75 people! Then the pastor let us borrow his Cadillac to make the drive from Wisconsin to southern Iowa. This is just one example of how my church has been a blessing to me and my family.
Portrait of Pastor & Mrs. Philip Palser, 16 x 20, acrylic on canvas, 2005 by fine artist Matt Philleo
Not only that, through many great sermons (messages) my life has been impacted. I’ve been given encouragement and direction to navigate through the uncertain, murky waters of life. It is in the context of a local church, that you can grow in your faith, encourage others, help people in need, be compelled to forgive others who have hurt you, and prepare yourself for the next life.
5. My health. I am blessed to be in good health, even though I’m 41. (That may seem old or young depending on your age) I thank God that I can wake up every day without much pain (I have headaches from time to time) and paint for a living.
“Strength to Rise”, 16 x 20, acrylic on canvas by artist Matt Philleo, copyright 2017
I have had some injuries and minor health problems. But there are a few rock-solid promises in the Bible: “Bless the Lord, O My soul and forget not all of His benefits, who forgives all your sins, and heals all your diseases.” (Psalm 103:2-3) “Surely he (Jesus) took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities;the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”(Isaiah 53:4-5)
Through the power of Jesus, I have been healed of several things: laryngitis, emaciation (I supernaturally put on weight when I was 140 lbs at 6’3) a foot injury when a stove dropped on my foot, a neck and spine injury, shoulder injury and other things I can’t remember. Miracles still happen today!
6. My art career. I am thankful that I can paint full time. There has been a cost for it, to be sure. I’ve had several months where I didn’t know how we would make rent. Income has been sporadic at times, we’ve had to tighten our financial belts to make it through. But it has increased my faith and drawn me closer to the Lord, out of necessity. And that is a good thing. Although I give up the stability of having a weekly paycheck, it’s nice to be able to leave my work when my wife calls to spend a couple hours with her and the family at the park. Or watch my daughter’s school play without having to ask off. It’s even better to wake up working on a job I love, even though it is work. Yes, painting is work! 🙂
7. Food, clothing and shelter. The Bible says, “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” (I Timothy 6:6-8) On a daily basis, I thank God for food, clothing, and shelter. I may not be living in a dream home (yet) but at least I am not living under a bridge. I may not be eating filet mignon, but I have three square meals a day and purified water to drink. I am blessed!
8. Transportation.My wife and I own two cars. She has the van, I have the SUV. Which is perfect for moving art and art supplies around. Until a couple years ago, we had only one vehicle to save money. At that time I was working at a recycling center part time, and I rode my bicycle to work–about 3 miles–every day. It didn’t matter whether it was raining or snowing, 90 degrees, or -20 degrees. That’s how I got to work. I had studded tires, by the way, and dressed in several layers. It wasn’t always easy, but it kept me in good shape!
Pickup Truck pencil drawing by artist Matt Philleo
9. Freedoms. It’s cliche to say, but I am thankful for the freedoms I have in America. I’m not sure where you live, but chances are you live in a country that also grants you a lot freedoms as well: freedom of speech, freedom to worship according to the dictates of your conscience, freedom to move and live where you want.
“Walking in His Footsteps”, 11 x 14, pencil on paper, by artist Matt PhilleoNot everyone in the world has these freedoms. And in previous centuries, most people were tied down to a piece of land their whole life, with no chance of changing their circumstances. So, we need to count our blessings, even when we may be tempted to complain about taxes, and politicians we don’t like. Most of us have it way better than our ancestors five hundred years ago!
10. You. I wanted to finish this off, by saying, I am thankful for…you!
You are the one reading this article, sharing it with your friends, writing me back with kind words that have really encouraged me as an artist. You have shared your stories with me, prayer requests, art that you’re working on, ideas that you have. It means a lot. My greatest desire in life is to be able to share the joy of how good God has been to me with other people, and to encourage you in that pursuit as well. You have encouraged me in turn to pursue God more in my life. Painting, and teaching others how to paint, is an expression of that. Every time you have written back, it’s confirmed that what I am doing is making a difference, and it’s not in vain.
Somehow I long to meet you, if not in this life, then in the next. You have prayed for me and encouraged me too, when I’ve been down.
Thank you for all the support and kind words over the months and years!
Have a Happy Thanksgiving,
What are you most thankful for this thanksgiving? Let us know in the comments below.
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!
Little by little, I’ve been chipping away at this 48″ x 72″ acrylic portrait painting that takes up almost half of my studio. I want to show you the progress on it. Here is where it was at a couple weeks ago.
In Progress acrylic on canvas portrait from a photo by artist Matt Philleo
Here is a video I did showing the process…
Lately, I’ve been adding a lot of detail to the people, layer after layer, using the glazing technique. That allows light to pass through the translucent layers of color, giving the painting more richness, depth and luminosity.
I’ve got a lot work to do, but I’m happy with where it is at right now!
In Progress Realistic Acrylic on Canvas Commissioned Portrait, 48 x 72 by Matt Philleo
Just wanted to share this with you and keep in touch on the progress! Have a blessed day as always!
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!
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.
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,
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!
It’s amazing that just the weekend before last, my family and I were out camping in a tent. We thought we were doing some fall camping, but with temperatures of close to eighty degrees at night, it was still summer, for all intents and purposes.
But how the weather in Wisconsin can change on a dime. As I write, next week we’ll hit freezing temperatures at night. The days are getting shorter again. The trees are starting to see bright red patches in the middle of green. Fall is here.
And of course, for me, that means my biggest art show of the year is almost here: the Falling Leaves Art Studio Tour. It seems like it was just a few weeks ago when I pulled my paintings off the wood-stacked wall in my friend’s makeshift gallery space, nestled in the beautiful countryside of Augusta, WI. But soon I’ll be traveling over there again–next weekend–to set up. My goal is to get there early, and set up before the wee hours of morning. Every year it’s a bit different. The wood-stack is a little taller or deeper, and you never know how your art is going to hang on it. But there’s plenty of places to drive a nail!
Falling Leaves Art Tour, 2018 Matt Philleo setup at Ron LaBlanc’s home in Augusta, WI
I am looking forward to connecting with you and all the others who can make it out there this year. It’s always a great time.
Here are some of the new paintings I’ve been working on this year (or at least since the last art tour…) Some of these paintings will be at the show, along with a few that I don’t have room for in this post.
1. “Rebuilding the Broken
“Rebuilding the Broken, 16 x 20, acrylic on canvas, depicting Nehemiah rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, an illustration by Eau Claire fine artist Matt Philleo for a book by Russell Stendal, published by Aneko Press, 2018
“Rebuilding the Broken, 16 x 20, acrylic on canvas, depicting Nehemiah rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, an illustration by artist Matt Philleo for a book by Russell Stendal, published by Aneko Press, Copyright Matt Philleo 2018. This is a painting I did as an illustration for one of Russell Stendal’s books (published by Aneko Press) on the ancient Jewish governor, Nehemiah. He writes about how Nehemiah rebuilt the wall, and how as Christians, we too can rebuild areas in our lives that have been broken down. In fact, that’s something that God specializes in. Jesus came to save, not destroy people’s lives. He comforts the brokenhearted. In the painting, you can see Nehemiah holding a scroll as he surveys the work being done on the project. But he is there, with the people, not lording it over them like a lot of governors did (and still do.) God has a blueprint, a master plan for our lives. And He came down as a man, as Jesus Christ, to become one of us, and so he knows how we feel when we are hurting. But he is able to restore us again!
2. “Come as Children”
“Come as Children,” 16 x 20, acrylic on canvas portrait, Copyright 2017 by Matt Philleo, artist.
This is another cover illustration I did for Aneko Press on a compilation of Charles Spurgeons’ sermons on children. In the book, he shows that children are important, and we need to come to God like a little child, and treat the little children well. We need to take care of them and teach them. I decided to do a painting of my children when they were a little younger, based on a photo when we were walking in the woods. You can see their innocence and eagerness to travel down the path. I think that’s what God wants for us!
3. Commissioned 8″ x 10″ Portrait of a Young Woman
Commissioned portrait painted from a photo for Roger E., 8″ x 10″, acrylic on canvas, copyright 2018 by Matt Philleo, Eau Claire, WI
This is a commissioned portrait I did for a man in who lives near me, a painting of his wife. I used a series of glazes to slowly build up richness and depth on her face, hair, and sweater. I really like how this one turned out. Here is a step-by-step breakdown of the process.
How to paint a realistic acrylic portrait of a young woman step by step using the glazing technique. 8 x10 acrylic portrait, copyright 2018 by Matt Philleo, Eau Claire artist
4. “Breakfast with the King”
“Breakfast with the King,” 11 x 14, acrylic on canvas copyright 2017 by Matt Philleo
Another illustration for a Russell Stendal book (Aneko Press) this is a painting that shows the scene in John 21: 1-14 where Jesus meets up with the disciples after His resurrection. He cooks a breakfast for them with a fire of coals, and then Jesus has that conversation with Peter where He restores him after his denial. I really wanted to emphasize the fire, showing that Jesus will build up the fire in our hearts, a passion for Him and His kingdom, if we’ll let Him.
5. “Strength to Rise”
“Strength to Rise”, 16 x 20, acrylic on canvas by artist Matt Philleo, copyright 2017
I’ve been doing a lot of Bible scenes lately. This was yet another book cover illustration for Russell Stendal. By the way, the publisher gets to use the image for their book, but I keep the original paintings. So, if you are interested in any of these, just ask! In this painting, I illustrated the New Testament scene where Peter is on his way to the temple. There’s a crippled beggar by the entrance asking for a handout. Peter gives him a hand-up instead. “Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” (Acts 3:6) The Bible says that instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong, and He got up, praising God. I think I would be too!
6. “Etched in Experience”
“Etched in Experience” 16″ x 20″, acrylic on canvas by Eau Claire portrait artist Matt Philleo, copyright 2018
In 2016, encouraged by some other artists, I started teaching portrait classes out of my studio at Artisan Forge Studios in Eau Claire. Then I had people online asking me if I would teach a class.
Finally, in 2017, I decided to teach portrait painting classes. My first student was an elderly woman in her mid 80’s. She was so excited, she mailed me a check for the tuition! Since that time, I’ve taught over 100 students how to paint realistic portraits in acrylic, and it’s been a great experience for me and for them.
This portrait was an example for my class specifically on painting realistic wrinkles in acrylic. One of the students sent me a photo of a distant relative. Actually, I asked my students to submit photos, and they voted on this one here. So I demonstrated how to paint wrinkles, using the glazing technique, building up value, color and detail step-by-step. I call this “Etched in Experience” because all the things this man has gone through in his life has, in part, created a story on his face, with every wrinkle.
7. “Accepted by the King”
“Accepted by the King,” an acrylic painting illustration of Queen Esther standing before the King, by artist Matt Philleo, 16 x 20, acrylic on canvas. Copyright 2018, Matt Philleo
What would you do if you had one chance to save yourself and your family from death? That’s the opportunity that Esther had, along with all the pressure. In fact, if she failed in her mission, she would die. This is an illustration (yes, another book cover illustration for Russell Stendal published by Aneko Press) showing the ancient Jewish Queen of Persia as she stood before the king, having entered into his palace uninvited. If he was happy with her, she lived. If not, she would die. But in that fateful moment, amazed by her beauty and courage, he held out his scepter, and granted her request.
I think that’s how God will treat us. When we come into His throne room, dressed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ, He will also give us mercy and favor. We can ask him anything!
8. “48” x 72″ Commissioned Portrait, in Progress”
Commissioned portrait of couple hiking in New Zealand, in progress, 48″ x 72″ acrylic on canvas, painting, copyright 2018 by Matt Philleo
Lastly, I want to show you this painting, a work in progress. You can read more about the beginnings of it here. This is my second largest painting I’ve ever done. It fills up almost half my studio! It’s a commission from a man in Brunei, who wanted a portrait done of he and his wife climbing beautiful mountains in New Zealand. I’d say it’s about 25% done right now. I thank God for all of His blessings, including this commission.
When it is finished, it will have to be packaged in a wooden crate to protect it in its long journey across the world. My goal is to have it finished by the end of October.
So, that a snapshot of a few of the paintings I’ve been working on this past year. I look forward to sharing them with you at the Falling Leaves Art Studio Tour!
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!
What do you do when your son stabs your painting with a spoon?
This is the question I had to answer when a customer asked me if I could fix this painting.
It was a special painting in his family, a collectible, and his then 2-year old son got a little excited one day with the silverware, adding a new dimension to the surface of the picture.
“I haven’t done anything like this before, ” I more or less told the customer when he asked if this kind of repair was possible. “But let’s give it a try.”
And so I laid the canvas out on a table and assessed the damage. There were several punctures in the canvas, so it wasn’t going to be easy.
I researched on how to repair paintings, and many websites suggested using a patch, but that it might be possible to see it from the other side, so you have to be careful with a repair like that.
What do you use for a patch?
I had some canvas lying around, so I figured it would be good to use the same material.
And then just to make sure it didn’t leave an impression on the other side years later, I cut the fabric to match the shape of the painting’s contours–in this case fruit in the still life.
I applied gloss medium (clear acrylic without pigment that also can be used as an adhesive) to the patch and praying a quick prayer, weighted it down. This step is critical. If I misaligned the patch or caused the holes in the canvas to buckle, after the adhesive dries, the damage would be permanent.
30 minutes later I took the weight off and inspected the other side. How did it look? Excellent. The tears were lined up almost perfectly.
But this is where the real work began. I had to fill the cracks in. The tears still left very noticeable crevices in the surface of the canvas. It had to be filled in.
So I thought, let’s use some acrylic medium and fill in the holes like wall spackling. It does work, I discovered, but it takes several layers to do the job. I applied each layer with a brush and then began to scrape over it with a flat-edged blade.
Eventually, the surface was flat. I used a piece of shop towel to stipple the last layer–helping it to match the texture of the canvas, which is slightly putted.
Fantastic.
Now, with the surface matching perfectly it was just a matter of matching the color of the painting to fill in the little lines and cracks left by the tear.
Matching each color up by eye, I filled the areas in. I also tried to match the sheen by mixing matte (flat) and gloss medium together and cover over the top.
When I was all done it was really hard to tell that anything even happened to the painting. I had trouble even seeing some of my repaired areas. I gave it to the client and he was amazed too. I thank God. It was a profitable project for me and it really blessed the customer to have their painting back and be able to hang it up on the wall.
I don’t know. Maybe they’ll hang it a little bit higher this time. 🙂
Thanks for reading and have a blessed day,
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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