Jyvonne Inman

09/27/2017

My mother is being transferred to a hospice facility this afternoon. Thank you for your concern and support. Continued prayers are all we ask for. Especially for her comfort. She is eager to meet our Savior.
With love,
Angie (Her dughter)

04/10/2017

This is a picture of a sparrow that I painted last fall and ended up giving to a friend and her husband for Christmas. They were remodeling at the time, but now they are finished and they mounted the picture. The frame on this is actually an optical illusion, as is the matting. It is really just one flat piece of Masonite painted to look 3D. I hope you enjoy. It is one of my favorite paintings I did last year.

03/17/2017

Good morning! What a pretty day we are having. I haven't been posting much lately on facebook, but thought I would take the time today to say hello and to update you on the cancer journey.

Can you believe I have been fighting through 8 ½ years in this journey? Wow. What a trip. It hasn't always been easy, but still, the experience has been rich with friends, and blessings, and a deeper walk with God.

Has it changed me? Oh my, yes. Not just physically. But my entire outlook on life. My goals. My dreams. Even my hobbies and past times.

While the physical me is much weaker than ever before and rather bald-ish looking, the other areas of my life have changed. The household is almost always full... my children's' friends are a very important part of my life and I consider them my “Young friends”. I have really come to see the need for support in the teen to mid-twenties age group. It's a difficult and confusing time of life to learn to make their own decisions, yet sometimes needing an experienced friend, a listening ear, and some reassurance to encourage them to take the next step. The Lord showed me a long time ago that, although I may not be able to do much physically, I can at least open my door. One of my sons, Andrew, has started teaching a weekly bible study in our home. My living room is crammed every week with people of all ages eager to learn more about God and share their own unique insights with one another. I am so happy to be alive... if for no other reason, to open the door to host the opportunity in my home for so many to know Christ more deeply, even if I am mostly in my recliner these days.

To say that I never get discouraged would be false. Physically, the chemo has really harsh side effects and I am not very comfortable. But it is doing an incredible job knocking back the cancer, so I am very grateful and will continue to take it as long as necessary. Meanwhile, although I got turned away from two experimental drug trials because of my history with heart problems, it looks like I will soon be entered into another trial which isn't affected by the heart issues.

Thank-you for all your prayers and encouragement through the years. Please pray that the Lord would continue to use me in a way that benefits those around me, and that He would help me with the side effects I endure during this physically arduous part of the journey. The cancer markers have dropped and my pet scan shows that the many many lesions in my bones, marrow, and liver have at least shrunk to an undetectable size. This is great news. But the fight isn't over. The cancer markers have dropped to 402- which sounds very high since they should be around 30. But, only a few months ago they spiked in the 900's, so they really have receded a lot. But still, being 402, I must continue. And that means dealing with side effects. So please, if I cross your mind, remember me in your prayers.

Take care... have a wonderful day, and thank you for all of the ways you have been a blessing to me through the years.

01/29/2017

How cool!

This gives a whole new meaning to slow food.

12/03/2016

God has blessed me so much to give me hope and peace through some very daunting and difficult seasons in my life...and then given me the grace to convey that hope to others through my artwork. These pieces have impacted many people in giving a message of comfort and strength. Christmas is coming, and these make very meaningful gifts for those you love. Please check out my website to see these and more and please consider adding a visual expression of God's everlasting love to someone's life! May God bless you! http://jyvonne-inman.artistwebsites.com

10/25/2016

Happy anniversary to ME! 8 years ago today I was found to have metastatic breast cancer. 8 years!!! I never thought I would make it this far! And it's not all over yet, you know:).
I think what I treasure the most is the discovery that each day of life holds a multitude of blessings. And that friends and family are so very precious.♡ I am surrounded by really wonderful people in life. And that even if the twists in the road we travel is unexpected to me, they aren't a surprise to God, and He is with me no matter how scary the path might look. I am never alone.

Speaking of not being alone... guess who came for her first visit with me to the cancer center today??? Our first selfie together...in the car on the trip over. Silly dog! She makes me smile.

Have a good day and treasure life! Each day us a gift... sometimes it might be hard to get the wrapping paper off, but if we persist in seeking the good, we will find it!

09/13/2016

A couple more days progress. In the top picture, you can see how I laid out the shadows and wrinkles before painting the white fur. You might say this is the classic ugly stage.

Below, you can see I am layering the fur on. She is looking much better, if I do say so myself. I am still working on the feet and legs, and forming the cubs.

09/09/2016

I thought it might be fun to post a work in progress. I started this a few nights ago. Because of my weakness, I can't work off an easle, so I throw a piece of Masonite primed with gesso on my lap in the recliner and do all my work at a visually awkward angle. Periodically I place it on the easle to determine where to make adjustments, then back to my lap it goes for the next round.

This is done with acrylic. I am hopefully going to successfully create a picture of a polar bear and her cubs.

I started by sketching basic shapes and form onto the primed hardboard. Lightly, I skimmed another coat of gesso over the lines to keep them from smearing as I painted and muddying up my paint.

In the next picture, I imagined what colors I wanted to show through the snow and ice and boldly blocked 5he in.

As the next two frames indicate, I am laying thin layers of mostly titanium white paint overy the blocked in bold colors, following naturally occurring shadows in the work to carve out shapes and patterns. Sometimes I add small amounts of other colors to the white to give it interest.

I don't want to just paint the entire background white. The color white as we see it is actually a mixture of all of the colors in the prism reflected back to us. I want to use this to my advantage in the picture to accentuate form, mood, and interest. Also, since the primary point of interest will be a white polar bear, I need to afford some contrast with the snow.

Keep in tune.... I will try to post some more as the picture progresses.

05/29/2016

The best birthday gift of all is the life that God has given me!

05/23/2016

Sometimes you need to just turn your back on the chaos and just reflect.

This acrylic painting is based on Psalm 8:3&4:
"When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; what is man, that Thou art mindful of Him? And the son of man that Thou visitest him?"

Take a step back, look up, and remind yourself...God is still in control. And He loves you.

05/17/2016

Wow. I think I'm finally finished with this. My longest project ever!

This painting is an expression of the many things that God means to me. I hadn't had much experience with acrylics but recently started painting because I was too worn out from chemo to do much of anything else. So, as I painted this, not only was I expressing things on my heart, but I was trying to figure out different techniques and try out different approaches.

The piece is 4 feet by 2 feet. It took over 500 hours to paint. I started it this past winter. I used the symbolism in the Ukranian egg dying art called pysanky for some of my pictures.

I am not going to write a detailed description right now about the depths of what each picture within the painting means, but I will give you a brief overview.

The Name of the painting is “All in All”. I see God's hand in everything around me and He is everything to me.

The star in the middle is based upon the pysanky symbol for “God”.
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To the far left, the word Love is expressed. In the book of 1st John, the scripture tells us God is love. There are balloons in the shapes of hearts in this segment. These represent my prayers and my cares. Every matter on our heart is important to our Creator. And the Bible says to cast all our cares upon Him for He cares for you. (I Peter 5:7). It's hard for me to really let go of things on my mind sometimes. So I picture myself sometimes as a little kid gripping my balloons. Each balloon has something near and dear to my heart that concerns me. Like a child trusts his father to hold his balloons for him, I picture myself releasing my cares to God and letting Him take care of them.
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On the far right, there is a picture of a galaxy. The swirl shapes, in pysanky language represent God's protection. He is my Protector, and like the colors in this cosmic picture, He is beautiful to me. Having formed the universe Himself, thinking of Him as I gaze upon the stars somehow gives me peace in knowing He truly is in control of all things.
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In pysanky, flowers represent joy. Having God ever present in my life is the greatest joy I know.
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See the cross silhouetted upon the hill and the vibrant sky? If you look closely, you will notice there is a vine entwined around the cross. The scripture refers to Jesus Christ as the vine... and we are the branches. As we abide in Him, according to to John 15, our lives will bear much fruit. You can see where the vine actually passes through the cloud from the cross, across another panel and over to the left where bunches of abundant grapes overflow beyond their boundaries even into the other picture areas. As the branch has received its nourishment from the vine, the blessings of God Himself promise to come through our lives to bless others.
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Meanwhile, lets return to the cross picture. Notice at the base of the cross, the vine's roots actually travel forward and down to another panel. Within that picture we see them amidst a number of hearts and tears. You see, the life and death of Jesus on our behalf wasn't just a crazy whim. No, His actions were entirely rooted in love. And love wasn't just a cheap and easy affectionate emotion for Him. It cost Him a lot. His love was deep. It was mingled in tears of sacrifice. But making the way clear to have our sins forgiven and have open fellowship with Him meant so much, He was willing to make this sacrifice. He so wants to have an open relationship with His children, that we would know that He loves us, and that we might love and enjoy Him also!
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Like a seed of wheat dies in the ground, but then sprouts and bears a plant yielding a hundred times as many seeds, so it is when we “die” to insisting on our own will and ways and let God just bring forth His life and growth in and through us. In the long run, He will bring fruitfulness in our lives. This is what the grain in the bottom middle panel represents. A seed sitting dry on a shelf may preserve itself, but will never increase in fruitfulness either. If I want my life to truly account for something in the long run, I must trust God during those dark and uncomfortable times when my own ways need to pass away that His new life may spring forth from within me.
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Just to the left of the wheat panel is an aquatic scene. When I ponder the ocean, I think of a place of mystery and beauty. A place familiar to God, but scarcely yet explored by man. The psalmist describes God making paths in the sea. What a contradictory concept that seems to me! After all, it takes many passes over a tract of land to make a path, and after you tread in that direction you can look back and see the path your forged for others to follow in. But a path in the water? The water flows back right away where you have been. It reminds me about how sometimes God calls us places in life that no one we know has ever had to tread... and where no one else can follow. No one can fully understand where we are at. No one except God, that is. Is that scary? It could be. Except there is no greater friend than God Himself. He sees your path, and knows everywhere you have been. He desires to show you the hidden mysteries and beauties that you could not otherwise known had you not ventured into the deep. These are the places that God will become your most treasured companion, your most intimate friend. Places in your life that no one else can fully comprehend... because the only other one besides you on that path is God Himself. And great peace comes from abiding in the presence of the Lord.
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Look straight up to the top of the painting and you will see a series of bubbles traveling through space. Bubbles are simple, yet complex... formed, but oh, so fragile. These bubbles represent our lives. The walls of the bubbles represent the limitations we face through time and our mortal bodies. But one day those walls will be dissolved, and we will find ourselves no longer bound by the temporal, but living in the eternal realm.
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And finally, there is a very simple, peaceful country scene near the middle of the painting. It reminds me of psalm 23. What is it about the countryside that makes us feel closer to God? The warm breeze, the blue sky, the fluffy clouds, green grass and trees... a run of water. All of these gentle reminders of God's powerful hand of creation also remind me of His gentleness and wisdom. I spent many years growing up on a farm surrounded by hilly green fields and country breezes. Perhaps this is a bit nostalgic. It reminds me of home. Home of the past... and my eternal home.
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I hope you like this painting. Each panel is separated by a woven boundary... the weave representing how deeply intertwined I want every aspect of my life to be with God.

I could probably write a book filled with deeper thoughts and meditations about the meanings of this picture, but I will settle now for this brief overview. May God bless you and inspire you also through the beautiful world He has given for us to enjoy.