Spiritual Focus Photography & SFP Galleries

I am selling some of my accumulated photography pieces on FB Marketplace. Pick up only: NEW LINK: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1425903024725448?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3A6a8c35b7-1590-41d0-9978-4ab61ce0e2ee

Another project in the books! I forgot to do the "before" photo, but the small ring photo gives you an idea of the pre-painting color. Having so much fun! I have always been a planner... trying to be exact in the things I do.... This has taught me to create as I go! Next up will be a project for Katie and Conor's house. : )

Last year I painted this dragon fly made from fan blades and a table leg. This year I changed my friend to hues of blues, greens, and purple acrylics, a textured golden center (Gold Mica Flakes) and then sealed with a clear finish! I did this earlier in Spring!

This is my second project for this week! This was my grandma's off white plant stand, which now had peeling paint and rust. (The photos is from a few years ago.). I had so much fun spray painting it in multiple colors. 😃

I have been having fun with my spray paints! I got this cobbler's stand, free! Here are the before and after pics! I love playing with colors and metallics! : )

What fun!!! Last night, we had a lovely evening in downtown Arlington Heights! It was also fun to spot my banner in Harmony Park! I just found the letter from October 2016 saying that I was one of four artists chosen in the village's Spring banner contest! ❤

Tell me what you see!!! What would you name this piece?

Fiber paste whisps, highlighted using Golden's Interference and Iridescent colors. I then highlighted the piece with Golden's Glass Bead Gel.

I started painting a water scene, but it took on a life of its own!!! What do you see??? 10"x10"

Thank you for all your suggestions!!! I have chosen the title "Intercession"! Check out the video on how this acrylic paint skin collage was created: https://youtu.be/FxGLT2dCFik

I just finished this art piece for Southminster Church and I need to name it. I Would Love To Hear Your Ideas!!! This was created with hand painted acrylic skins. Some have a fiber paste base so they can rise up above the other pieces. I also used gold mica flakes with some having Micaceous Iron Oxide highlights added in. This piece is 40" x 30" and thee are over 400 tiles!

Here are two of my most recent art pieces for our Social Justice Team at my church...

Hello My Creative Friends!!!! I was graciously gifted a loom! To all my creative friends, does anyone know anything about Weaving / Looms? From joining a Weaving Page, it has been identified as a Baby Mac (Macomber) loom in folded position! Again. I would be grateful for any help with this beauty! I would love to know how to set it up. And maybe a brief lesson on how I could use it. Not ready for in depth lessons yet. : )

Here are 5 Short Waterway Vignettes from our relaxing boat ride from Minocqua to Tomahawk, coupled with relaxing musical interludes from various artists.

Minocqua to Tomahawk

My daughter, Liz, picked me up and we went for an early morning stroll at the Botanic Gardens! ❤️❤️❤️

Taken looking out of the South Loop Parking Garage in Chicago...

POST 4 OF 4: SUNRISE 12-28-22 I would love to know which ones are your favorites!!!! (I numbered the pictures.) The colors are out of this world and the reflections on the water, stunning!!! I can assure you that my camera was unable to capture just how spectacular this sunrise was. I am blessed to have been there and able to take it all in. This was a once in a lifetime event because every sunrise is unique!

POST 3 OF 4: SUNRISE 12-28-22 While these photos are not frame worthy, it gives you a glimpse into the size and magnitude, as well as the ever changing intensity and color palette of this sunrise!!! The Artistry of God!!!

POST 2 OF 4: SUNRISE 12-28-22. Here we see the general evolution of this sunrise. The 2nd and 3rd shots are so similar and yet the change of lighting is noticeable upon taking a closer look! First focus on the large boat and then on the pink cloud to capture the differences. The 4th picture looks like it was from a completely different day, but it was not. You will notice the wispy clouds reaching westward, which are also very noticeable in the 1st photo, as well...

POST 1 OF 4: SUNRISE 12-28-22 My next few posts will be based on an amazing sunrise on December 28, 2022! In this first post, I tried to capture the reflections of this awe inspiring sunrise, as its colors bounced off the windows of the city! Because of the dusk to dawn lighting, the photos almost have a graphic novel look to them...

The day winds down and the night closes in... Chicago 12/27/22

Chicago 12/25/22

Chicago 12/24/22

https://youtu.be/iCb7a7thtfw

Dragged Through The Mud The Erosion Of Women's Reproductive RightsArtwork by Sue Thomson - Spiritual Focus PhotographyMusic by Reina Del Cid - My Country Tis Of Thee (Land of Inequity)

I have finished another Protest / Justice Art Piece. If you know of any places where this might be displayed or used, please let me know. I will now share more about the meaning behind this piece:

Dragged Through The Mud
The Erosion of Women’s Reproductive Rights
By Sue Thomson

July 2022: In Ohio, a ten-year-old child was a victim of r**e. To add to this horror, she had to cross state lines into Indiana, in order to receive a safe and legal abortion. Ohio Attorney General, Dave Yost, further victimized this girl by saying that the story was probably a fabrication and that the authorities would have already found and charged the ra**st, if this story was true. Less than 24 hours after he made this statement, law enforcement officials arraigned the 27-year-old man accused of this horrible crime. To add to the pain and suffering already inflicted on everyone, the doctor from Indiana, a woman, was also scrutinized, even though she had taken "every appropriate and proper action in accordance with the law and her medical and ethical training as a physician."

Let’s look at the symbolism within this art piece:
In 1978, this was the dress I chose for my bridesmaids. I was 20 when I got married, and I had very little knowledge about the history of Women's Rights.

This Victorian style dress now represents the Victorian Era, which was from 1837 to 1901. It is a reminder that women were subservient to their fathers and husbands. They could not vote until 1920, after decades of protest. They often could not own land, keep their own wages, or sign a contract. In the late 1800’s U.S. politicians started banning abortion. It would take decades of intense political action to begin to revise these restrictions. Think about how women dressed during that time. They were laced up in tight corsets and surrounded by a cage. Just think about that…

The creation and color choice of this actual bridesmaid dress takes us into the 1970’s. Women sought equal rights and opportunities for greater personal freedoms. In 1972, the push for gender equality in workplaces and universities came to pass, and on January 22, 1973, Roe v. Wade decriminalized abortion.

Now we fast forward to June 24, 2022, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. It was shocking, and our trust in the Supreme Court was shaken. The necklace of hangers symbolizes the states which have now banned abortions. More states are planning to ban them or are likely to ban them. The hangers symbolize the dark era of abortion. The graphic imagery of a simple hanger is the symbol of a dangerous and painful past for women.

The cummerbund on this dress represents the tight grip that still holds women hostage, and below that a swollen belly. The worn, faded, and fraying flag represents a freedom that we have taken for granted. We now realize that many of our freedoms are now in jeopardy, and we are being called to take action. We must do our homework, become involved, and then VOTE accordingly!

This girl’s arms are pulled behind her back and restrained with handcuffs, representing the growing re-criminalization of abortion. Her hands are also bound by a strip of cloth from the flag and teardrops and sweat mingle together under the burdens of this “new America”. Her dress is muddied using a technique with fabric, acrylic paints, sand paper and interestingly enough, baby powder. Some of the splotches from the baby powder were purposely left visible. In the muddied train of the dress are faded and dirty stripes of red white and blue. This is symbol of American women being dragged down by right-wing politics. The red not only represents a color in the flag, but also every woman’s right to choose. She and her doctor should be able to choose things like stopping the flow of her period through birth control. She should also be afforded the right to become pregnant, if she so chooses, and to end a pregnancy, if she feels it is necessary.

You will notice that this woman does not have developed breasts and appears shorter in stature. The stature of this figure signifies that we are bent in oppression, as they continue to strip us of our rights. It is also a painful reminder of a ten-year-old girl, who was dragged through the mud….

On Thursday, I dropped off my newest art piece, which I entered into the Prince of Peace (Palatine) Multigenerational Community Art Show and Juried Competition!

The piece is called "Open Arms". It is a 36" x 48" Mixed Media Collage using Acrylics, Thai Unryu Paper, and Mulberry Papers. The lower arm is lifted off the canvas to continue the theme of "Open Arms".

Artwork will be displayed in a virtual gallery, and will be viewable in person at the Prince of Peace Lutheran Fellowship Hall from 10AM to 2PM beginning Sunday, May 1 until Friday, May 20, 2022.

I saw some of the other entries and there is a powerful painting of a tearful Zelensky and an unemotional Putin who are facing each other. I will post the link when the online gallery is up.