Sarah Mae Westie: I will keep you safe in my heart.

My mom and step dad lost their dog Sarah to Lymphoma, so I painted this for them so that they can imagine what Sarah's heavenly companion might be like.  I never know what any of my angels are going to look like until I am done.  I may know how they will be sitting, or perhaps what color dress I may paint on her, but she doesn't take shape until I start painting her.  In the case of the "Hell" Angels (Through Hell or High Water, I will be there for you."  I didn't even know it was going to be painted in hell or that I was even going to paint myself in the picture.  I just wanted to paint the Angel version of my daughter. It is fun to make up as I go.  In this case, I knew that my Angel was going to be sitting, and that Sarah was going to be propped up on her legs.  Rest in Peace Sweet Sarah!  Say "Hello" to my Pippin and Quigley.

Sarah Mae Westie: I will keep you safe in my heart.

Tree Angel Revisited

Last night I couldn't sleep, because something was missing on my "Tree Angel."  So I stayed up a little later than usual and lit up the tree by placing a moon behind it.  This gives a halo effect, and hopefully brings the tree out a little bit.  My husband recommended that I don't bring the tree out too much, because it would take away from the angel.  I agree.

Angel Series

It seems like the last several paintings I have stuck with the "Angel" theme.  These are the last three starting with the latest.

Tree - Centered & Balanced

I had been taking yoga for a couple months now and I have been really enjoying it.  This angel was inspired by the famous "Tree Pose, which is supposed to help one to achieve center and balance.

Through Hell or High Water - I'll be There for You!

Dedicated to my daughter.  Actually this is supposed to be the two of us.  I did not plan for us to be in Hell, it just turned out that way, so I went with it.  :)

Rainbow's Angel

Dedicated to my beloved Pippin and Quigley.  May they rest in peace.  They had been there with me for 17 years.  They were truly my best friends.  They are now blessing someone up at Rainbow's Bridge.  Until we meet again, Pip and Quig!

This Little Light

So, I have been dealing with a little bit of depression lately.  I keep getting to the point where I feel like I can pull myself out, and whenever I do external circumstances pull me back in.  Yesterday the sermon at church was about "de-fencing," which is basically letting your fence down in some areas so that people can see that you are imperfect and vulnerable like the rest of the world, which lets your light shine even brighter.  Of course I am paraphrasing, and I tend to go in and out of consciousness when I am at church or any other meeting that lasts an hour or longer.  So if that was not the message, someone should let me know.  So after church, the old gospel song "This little Light of Mine" popped into my head and it stayed there all day (in fact, it is still swimming in there right now).  Since I like to paint the songs that arrive in my head, I thought it fitting that I painted this one.  I thought about it all day, and decided it would be a painting of an angel holding a candle with flowers for wings.  When I was helping Ana learn to ride her bike, I had decided that I wanted to make the painting monochromatic(using mostly one color tone).  It started out monochromatic, but as I was painting, I decided that the light needed to really "shine," so I added some orange and yellow to the flame, around the angel's hair, in her halo, and I also added some dancing light beams throughout the painting.  I really hadn't thought about using the color blue as being significant until today.  I actually used it, because I happen to like blue, it is one of my favorite colors, but as I think about it, the blue represents my overall mood, and the dancing orange and yellow represent my need to radiate from the inside.  So now, if everyone would just let me be happy, and appreciate that I really am trying, and that I am not God, but only a child of God, and I am completely and utterly imperfect, but am absolutely adorable just the way I am, not the way they want me to be, then my fire might light a little easier.

P.S.  The Angel is no one in particular.  Just a random angel that I felt like painting.

The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow



Have you ever had a day when you just felt like you were treated like less than you are by someone that should know better.  Today was one of those days.  Without going into details,  I can just say that my day sucked, perhaps my whole week sucked.  Needless to say, I am looking forward to tomorrow.  I am forever the optimist. 

What Girls Grow On



I know!  I know!  It looks like I channeled the spirit of Oprah Winfrey for this painting, but actually I painted it from a picture of my baby girl when she was 3.  I am not exactly showing off my artistic skills in this painting, I know, but as always, my artwork is about my feelings or my message for the moment, so that is why I am still posting this.  These are simply the things I feel are important for a young person needs to grow up to be happy and feel loved. 

• Patience
• Stability
• Love
• Nurturing
• Encouraging
• Kindness
• Friendship
• Understanding
• Play Time
• Discipline

Recommended dosage:  Every Day.

My Hands are My Own

This painting has a little bit of a story behind it, so bare with me.  I was thinking of a dear friend the other day, a friend who was always full of love, light and happiness.  A true pleasure to be around.  What do you know, but he happened to send me an email that day for the first time in at least 5 years.  He was raising money for the heart association, but regardless of the reason, I was thrilled.  This friend had encouraged me to get the book "Simple Abundance - A Day Book of Comfort and Joy."  It is kind of like a daily devotional type book, only it is not concentrated on any one religion, and it is heavily concentrated on creativity.  Since I have been struggling (only slightly) with depression, I decided to dig it out and start being encouraged again. It is really strange, because the day I started reading it again the message was about down shifting and living in lower gear.  Which is EXACTLY what I had started to do by going to part time hours at work.  It talked about people who had chosen to slow their pace and not compete with their fast paced peers, and devote more time to their creative energy!  This is EXACTLY where I am in life.  So, I thumb through all of the days that I had missed, and picked out a page that discussed tuning in to what God (or your higher spirit) is saying to you and put that into your work.  That is exactly what I did today.  I have felt very troubled over the new immigration laws that have passed in Alabama.  I have been an idiot and have read a lot of the ugly comments that people have written in the comment sections of some of the news articles.  People are very passionate about their side of the debate, so I will try not to dwell on it.  I will just say that since I am the mother of a beautiful Hispanic girl (who is over here legally by the way) it really concerns me.  It occupies my mind a LOT.  Probably more than it should.  So, I sat down today and connected with God, and decided to paint what I thought HIS message would be on the issue.  The lyrics to Jewel's "Hands" came to mind, and this was the result.

Live Love Bee

I painted this one two weeks ago.  I have a goal to paint one painting a week (I missed last week).  My friend Kim had invited Ana and I over to a Chili / Pedicure party, so I knew I had to hurry up and paint something.  I had been saving these letters for a while, so I decided to use them.  I painted the frame and the letters, and glued on some cute little trinkets and them painted the bee.  I think the message is obvious.  LIVE LOVE and BEE!  It is the only way to be.

Pretty Flowers - Pretty Girls - Pretty Flowers

This was painted after the Art on the Mountain at Monte Sano Mountain.  I have no theme behind this other than I wanted to paint and I did not know what.  As I was painting, Ana came in the room and wanted me to paint her and her friend Lorelai, so I did a cartoon image of them standing next to each other.  I like to finish my paintings in 2-4 hours, so I did not add any detail to their faces.  I thought it added to their mystique.

Blowing Sunshine up your A$$

I needed to do a quick project, and Ana really wanted to help, so we painted the pleather stool that was in the kitchen.  It already had a little paint on it that I couldn't get off, so I decided to just paint the whole thing.  We had fun.  We call it "Sunshine for your butt."

Love Your Neighbor

It is Labor Day weekend, and it has been raining ALL DAY!  What better to do on such a day than paint!   I have been wanting to do a folk art neighborhood painting.  So I just grabbed a bunch of nice colors and started to paint as I saw fit.  Ana wanted me to make the yellow house I church, so I did, but putting a cross at the top of the roof for a steeple.  I thought it fitting to call this painting "Love Your Neighbor," because we should all always try to love our fellow humans (and fur babies) regardless of their religion, politics, or any thing else that makes people different than we were.  If God wanted all of us to be just alike he would have just made one of us and then put up a bunch of mirrors.  So love love love your neighbor!!!

Love Your Neighbor

The following painting should look familiar, because I have painted it before.  I had given my BFF my original "Three Little Birds Beside My Doorstep" painting, because she has basically been through hell and back, and I thought the birds would bring her peace, but then, I missed them!!  So I decided to paint them again, and I actually think they might have improved a bit in the second painting! 

Three Little Birds Beside My Door Step (Take II)

Let's Get Started

Hello, and welcome to my blog. My name is Jodi Crubaugh and I currently work on the dying Constellation program at NASA.  I have often complained about my job.  Just to be clear, I am very fortunate and appreciative of my job and I adore most of the people I work with, however, I never felt like I fit in with the world of technology. Come to think of it, I never really felt like I fit in anywhere, and that is why I can claim the title of Artist.  

Art, in my opinion is not always a result of training, but sometimes it is something that is born in your heart.  I often turn to the canvas when I am trying to work out something in my life, or get something out of my head.  It tells a story that I sometimes have trouble finding words to express.  It gives insight into ones mind and to their soul. 

I hope you enjoy my creations and watch me as I grow as an artist. Here are the Paintings that I began painting this year.  I will post new paintings as I create.  Once I am ready.  I may even sell a few.

Watch Over My Loved Ones

A Bright Future

Cardinal Love

A Family Portrait

Tranquility

Tree

Good Morning Star Shine

Three Little Birds Beside My Doorstep

Fertility - Actually painted 8 years ago.

Every Little Thing is gonna be alright. Painted for the "Painted Bra Art Project"

BooBEEZ - Painted for the "Painted Bra Art Project"