Pencil sketches – King Solomon and a sweet, elderly couple

Today’s theme is WISDOM THROUGH THE AGES. The immediate thought to come to mind was King Solomon who is described as wise. In the Old Testament, 1 Kings 3:6-9, the young King petitions the Lord for a discerning heart to rule His people.

The one story I recall vividly from 1 Kings 3:16-28 tells how  King Solomon settles a dispute between two women claiming to be the mother of the same child which at first seems horrific until you learn how it ends which is totally insightful and amazing.

A discerning heart is beneficial to anyone of any age for any circumstance. I wish I had started my young Christian life asking God to place a great understanding within me to make better decisions but it’s never too late to pray this prayer.

I’m challenging myself to illustrate human-likeness as much as possible.  I seem to skip around drawing whatever fancies me. I’m not sure if that’s a good approach to purrfecting my artistic abilities but that’s where I am.

I used this image of King Solomon to sketch my drawing.  There are many impurrfections but I’m not focusing on what I can’t do as much as the joy that doodling gives me.  Over time I will continue to get  better. That’s all I can hope for, right?

When I think of wisdom, I think of the elderly. It marveled me that my grandparents always had all the answers as well as my parents and in-laws seemed to know the right thing to do at the right time.  I’ve come to realize that while some are naturally gifted in these areas, others have just walked through the fires experiencing and growing through life’s lessons till at last the age of wisdom crowns the head of old folks. 

Wisdom through the ages is found through sweet moments enjoyed with one’s soulmate.  It hit me hard when my grandpa passed to see the devastation in my sweet grandma’s face. She lost her sweet love. You know your grandparents love each other but  when death steals away one, it’s then you see how profound that love is with their breaking heart.  The next time I saw this was when my MIL died.  My late FIL often spoke of losing the ‘love of his life’ which was totally heart wrenching.  I have to admit as much as I love the love that we share, it tears at my heart to think that either of us might find ourselves in the same situation one day – alone and heart broken.

Thanks for stopping in with your coffee for a peek at my masterpiece and …oh yeah for not spilling it on my artwork. 😉

It’s a super pleasure to share my newest illustration with you this morning. 😘  Follow me to Rain’s Garden to browse through the gallery of artistry!

In closing I wish to share a pretty song I stumbled on by Jesus Culture with Martin Smith, “Song of Solomon”.  I’ll be back tomorrow with an edition of Friday Fun Stuff chockful of giggles, fill-ins, & more! Come join the fun!

X💋X💋, Cathy

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25 comments

  1. Hi Cathy. Your sketches are amazing. It is difficult to draw hands and you got the depth of them perfectly. I too tend to draw faces all over the place. I think what ever works for the artist is the correct way. Your post was lovely. Have a great day.

    1. Nicole,

      I admire your drawings and hope someday to capture a true resemblance of the model I’m drawing. It’s really challenging but I’m enjoying trying to replicate what I see but you’re right sometimes it’s correct just because that’s the way it works for the artist. I’m okay with that, too. It’s taking me time to not be so critical of my self-learning abilities but I’m doing better than I was at the start. Thanks for stopping to take a peek at my artwork, my dear!

  2. Hi Cathy :)) I think it’s very WISE of you to concentrate on the joy your doodling gives you! Recreating human likeness is HARD. The ones I’ve done so far have taken hours and hours for me to like them and feel like I can show them publicly, but then I’m a terrible self-critic!! 🙂 Your drawings are great and the story of your grandma brought tears to my eyes. When my grandma died, my grandpa deteriorated and joined her only 2 months later. He had no health issues, but I truly believe he died of a broken heart. It pains me to think I may ever be in that situation of losing the love of my life…but you know what? It makes us appreciate every moment we have now. Great post! 🙂 xx

    1. Rain,

      You do fabulous work at recreating human likeness! Perhaps someday my people will look for life-life but as I said I’m just enjoying the process of doodling for fun. I agree, I find that I appreciate every moment I can with DH. The days are fleeting and I don’t want to miss a single second! Thanks for the return visit, my dear!

  4. Hi again, dear Cathy!

    Thanks for reminding me that I missed this art post. As I began to explain to you on SPMM, things have changed for Mrs. S and me. Another family member has come to live with us. He does not have a driver’s license and therefore I will need to be his Lyft for doctor appointments and other errands. This along with keeping late nights and spending time with him and other family members will pull me away from blogging more so than in the past. Please understand if I miss some of your posts, okay?

    I’m happy that I got to see your drawing of King Solomon. I think you are way too modest, Cathy. Your portrait of the King stroking his mighty beard conveys a sense of wisdom and fairness along with power. Well done! The sketch of the elderly couple on a park bench is heartwarming. Close as you and DH are, I’m sure you and he will stay together and spend your golden years as depicted in that scene. I agree that with age comes wisdom. In my opinion too few young people are interested in learning from their elderly family members. I for one have never been asked a single question about my life by my own grandchildren. They simply aren’t interested. “It is what it is.”

    Enjoy your Friday and weekend, dear friend Cathy!

    1. Tom,

      Think nothing of the reminder and please if you ever get too busy to drop by then don’t fret about it because I UNDERSTAND totally! It sounds like you have a lot on your plate,too. Your thoughtful words warms my heart every single time. Thank you for the encouragement. It means so much to me. That’s sad to read that your grandkids haven’t shown any interest in learning from you. They certainly can learn much from your experience and life. I talk to my folks a lot but asking them questions about their lives I admit I have not done that and I really need to make time before it’s too late. That day will come and then I’ll have horrible regrets for not doing so. Thanks for the spark to get me going on this. Have a wonderful week, my friend!

  5. Oh, your sketches are superb, Cathy! I feel wisdom from experiences is invaluable and more easily retained then learned wisdom.

    “Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers.” Alfred Lord Tennyson

    1. Eugenia,

      I love the quote! Thanks for sharing. I agree wisdom from experiences is invaluable which stays with one longer than those from others who’ve passed theirs onto you but wouldn’t it be grand if we kept the lessons learned by others upfront in our minds so to not make the same mistakes? Unfortunately it doesn’t work like that often. 🙂

  7. I do so agree that wisdom lies in the heart of people who have experienced a full life. Not all attain wisdom so you are lucky that your were surrounded by people who lived , loved and grew to be wise. The sadness you speak of is something we all come to fear as we grow older and that moment of loss becomes inevitably closer and closer. The wisdom comes in making the most of the time you have together and giving all you have to give to those you love, those who need and even those you don’t know well … because it is in the giving they we find joy in our lives. Your pictures are wonderful and they may never become what you want them to be, for we are our own worst critics and can always spot a flaw … but remember only you know where the flaw might be and the rest of us just see the beauty you have created. Have a lovely day, Cathy …

    Andrea @ From the Sol

    1. Andrea,

      Your words touched my heart deeply. Thank you for expressing such tenderness. Wisdom does indeed coming from making the most of our time. That’s something the young have to discover. I remember wishing my days away. I couldn’t wait until I was this age to do this or that but when I reached that milestone, I didn’t feel any different. It wasn’t nearly as grand as I had imagined. One of my fears as a child was being old. Maybe because I had yet to embrace the idea that death comes to us all but if we’re fortunate to get old, really old before the Master calls us home then we’re blessed. I agree we are our worst critics. I’m learning to forgive myself for my shortcomings and just go with the flow. Art is meant to experienced and enjoyed for the creator – me or you. And…if others share the same feelings then that’s just a double blessing. Your comment added a little something special to my day, my friend. Blessings to you!

  8. I love the face of Solomon-you captured the wisdom in his face. The older couple is so sweet and one day one does leave the other. when my MIL passed away, My FIL was devastated and said that he will follow her soon. Within 9 months he died. It was very sad but I know they are enjoying themselves travelling in their 5th wheel

  11. Sketch what you like. I read someplace once that “following your bliss” meant doing the thing you wish to do most in any moment in time. (Sometimes the choices are limited, of course.) So, if you feel like now is a “human likeness” moment, why not?

  12. You are most talented. Love them both. That last one is hubby and I. We always say how lucky we are to grown old with each other.

    Wow on the video. Beautiful.

    Have a fabulous day, my friend. Love and hugs. ♥

  14. King Soloman is a good choice! Your portrait is beautiful as is the cute elderly people. That was a poignant take on elderly wisdom, so true.

  16. Your newest illustration is very good!!!
    I agree with you that some have to fight hard and others don’t. Love in old age is something very special for me too. Wisdom is what everyone gathers in experiences. Some people cannot find their center, they cannot let go, the fear is more fearful of loss, even if it was a bad thing. The fear that you could lose a loved one / partner and have to live alone without this love of togetherness sometimes makes me think.
    It is a wonderful posting and thanks for this personal wonderful text. Painting the art is very great as you can. Art is a real treasure for exchange in the graceful world.
    A great video
    have a happy Day, hugs Elke

  17. Your pencil sketches are both beautiful. It’s always good to do what you enjoy most. Solomon was indeed regarded as a very wise man. And yes, being alone and heart broken is hard, as I know from my own experience. Have a great day, hugs, Valerie

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