Old Northwest Frontier Tours (2025)

26/12/2024

My artwork, "Joy After The Storm." without added text, is now available through Fine Art America. Click on the image below to go to Fine Art America for more details.

A beautiful winter day with a sunlit path through snow-covered trees. A joyous day after a winter storm!

Digital artistic filters have been added to enhance the image.

Joy After The Storm Photograph by Barbara Smits

23/12/2024

My artwork, "Where There Is Darkness, Let Me Bring Light," with added text, is now available through Fine Art America. Click on the link below to go to Fine Art America for more details.

"Where There Is Darkness, Let Me Bring Light" -- I have used the image of a road through snow-covered trees with a bright yellow sun in the sky, a joyful scene, to illustrate a line from the Prayer of St. Francis: “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: Where there is darkness, let me bring light.”

Digital artistic filters have been added to enhance the image

Shop for artwork by Barbara Smits. Purchase canvas prints, framed prints, tapestries, posters, greeting cards, and more. Barbara Smits artwork and print-on-demand products are ready to ship in 3 - 4 business days.

18/12/2024

My artwork, Heavens Gate Is Always Open,," with added text, is now available through Fine Art America. Click on the image below to go to Fine Art America for more details.

My artwork, “Heaven’s Gate Is Always Open,” reminds you that your spiritual self is always there, always ready to enter into infinite spiritual life through a gate that God always leaves open…all you have to do is walk in through the gate that your heart creates out of love.

"The Gate Is Always Open"
By Barbara Smits Copyright 2024

The gate is always open,
It was made that way;
Dinner is on the table...
Walk right in, sit right down,
No one is there to stop you!

The path is bright and sunny,
Well marked by others
Who have gone before,
Each in their own time,
At their own pace…
Some far ahead,
Some far behind,
Some walk with friends,
Some walk alone…
It doesn’t really matter in the end.

Jesus said it all…“Heaven is within you.”
What’s your problem?
Lose the drama, already!
Walk right in, sit right down...
your friends are waiting!
(By Barbara Smits)

Digital artistic filters have been added to enhance the image.

Heavens Gate Is Always Open Photograph by Barbara Smits

16/12/2024

My artwork, "The Gate Is Always Open," is now available through Fine Art America. Click on the image below to go to Fine Art America for more details.

My artwork, “The Gate Is Always Open,” reminds you that your spiritual self is always there, always ready to enter into infinite spiritual life through a gate that God always leaves open…all you have to do is walk in through the gate that your heart creates out of love.

The gate is always open…it was made that way…dinner is on the table...
walk right in, sit right down…no one is there to stop you!

The path is bright and sunny, well marked by others who have gone before, each in their own time, at their own pace…some far ahead, some far behind…some walk with friends, some walk alone…it doesn’t really matter in the end.

Jesus said it all…“Heaven is within you.”

What’s your problem? Lose the drama, already! Walk right in, sit right down...your friends are waiting! (By Barbara Smits)

Digital artistic filters have been added to enhance the image.

The Gate Is Always Open Photograph by Barbara Smits

11/12/2024

My Artwork, "Purple Lilacs - Wisdom And Spirituality," is now available through Fine Art America. Click on the image below to go to Fine Art America for more details.

"Purple Lilacs - Wisdom and Spirituality" -- Vibrant purple lilacs are surrounded by lush green leaves in a colorful, nature-inspired scene. The background features a blend of greens and other cool tones, enhancing the lively atmosphere. Purple or violet lilacs growing along the trail in spring. Purple or violet lilacs signify wisdom and spirituality. This image was created with AI from my original photograph.

Purple Lilacs Wisdom And Spirituality Photograph by Barbara Smits

09/12/2024

My artwork, "Blue Winter Sunset Horicon Marsh WI," is now available through Fine Art America. Click on the image below to go to Fine Art America for more information.
"Blue Winter Sunset Horicon Marsh WI" -- Description
A flock of Canadian geese flies over a pond at Horicon National/State Wildlife Refuge, near Horicon, Wisconsin. Blue winter ice is just beginning to form on the marsh water, and it reflects blue light agains a colorful sunset. The geese will head south for the winter along the Mississippi Flyway, moving toward the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers in southern Illinois.
Information from Wikipedia: “Horicon Marsh is a marsh located in northern Dodge and southern Fond du Lac counties of Wisconsin. It is the site of both a national and a state wildlife refuge. The silted-up glacial lake is the largest freshwater cattail marsh in the United States.
Horicon Marsh was created by the Green Bay lobe of the Wisconsin glaciation during the Pleistocene era. The glacier, during its advance created many drumlins (a glacial landform) in the region, many of which have become the islands of Horicon Marsh. The marsh and surrounding Dodge County have the highest concentration of drumlins in the world.
During the glacier's retreat, a moraine was created, forming a natural dam holding back the waters from the melting glacier and forming Glacial Lake Horicon. The Rock River slowly eroded the moraine, and the lake drained. As the levels of silt, clay and peat accumulated in the former lake's basin, the Horicon Marsh was formed.
The Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area is one of nine units of the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve system, being considered to contain unique, representative evidence of the Ice Age of the Pleistocene era.
The Horicon Marsh area has been inhabited by humans, including the Paleo-Indians, the Hopewellian people and the Mound Builders, since the ending of the last Ice Age. Dozens of 1200-year-old effigy mounds were built by the Mound Builders in the surrounding low ridges. Arrowheads have been found dating to 12,000 years ago. Later the region was inhabited by the Potawotomi, primarily to the east of the marsh, and the Ho-Chunk to the west. Seven well-traveled Native American foot trails met at the southern end of the marsh at the present location of Horicon.”
Digital artistic filters have been added to enhance the image.

Blue Winter Sunset Horicon Marsh WI Photograph by Barbara Smits

04/12/2024

My artwork, "Walk The Path Of Beauty," is now available through Fine Art America. Click on the image below to go to Fine Art America for more details.

"Walk The Path Of Beauty" -- A vibrant path is lined with fallen autumn leaves, leading past a white picket fence into the distance. Warm hues of orange and yellow foliage adorn the trees, evoking a cozy and serene atmosphere in a suburban neighborhood. Tall trees with orange and yellow leaves cast shadows on the ground, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. This is an AI image generated from my original photograph of beautiful colored fall leaves gathered on a sidewalk beside a white picket fence. A white house with a white fence is in the background, surrounded by trees with colored leaves. It is a beautiful fall scene of the Wisconsin countryside that tells you to walk into the future with joy and gladness, not in sadness and despair.

AI and digital artistic filters have been added to enhance the image.

Walk The Path Of Beauty Photograph by Barbara Smits

02/12/2024

My artwork, "Fall Glory In The Countryside," is now available through Fine Art America. Click on the image below to go to Fine Art America for more details.

"Fall Glory In The Countryside" -- A peaceful autumn scene showcases a quaint white house surrounded by vibrant fall foliage, with a path covered in colorful leaves leading to it. Tall trees with orange and yellow leaves cast shadows on the ground, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. This is an AI image generated from my original photograph of beautiful colored fall leaves gathered on a sidewalk beside a white picket fence. A farm house with a white fence is in the background, surrounded by trees with colored leaves. It is a beautiful fall scene of the Wisconsin countryside.

AI and digital artistic filters have been added to enhance the image.

Fall Glory In The Countryside Photograph by Barbara Smits

27/11/2024

My artwork, "Shy Turkeys Running For Cover," is now available through Fine Art America. Just click on the above image to go to Fine Art America for more details.

"Shy Turkeys Running For Cover" -- A flock of wild turkeys finds food in a newly harvested field by the East River, De Pere, WI. Wild turkeys are a common sight in Wisconsin and can be seen within city limits. Digital photo brushes have been used to add colored leaves and a blue sky, and a sun filter enhances the photograph. It is one of my favorites!

Digital artistic filters and texture have been added to enhance the image.

Shy Turkeys Running For Cover Photograph by Barbara Smits

25/11/2024

My artwork, 'Majestic Wild Turkeys Greeting Spring," is now available through Fine Art America. Click on the image below to go to Fine Art America for more details.

A majestic flock of wild turkeys gathers along the East River in Bellevue WI. Spring is coming, but a few patches of icy snow remain. They are fat and healthy after a long winter, perhaps because of the residents of the elderly residence nearby who find joy in feeding them! Wild turkeys are a common sight in Wisconsin.

Digital photo brushes and a poster effect have been added to enhance the photograph.

Majestic Wild Turkeys Greeting Spring Photograph by Barbara Smits

20/11/2024

My EPUB book, "Living The Good Life With The Beatitudes," is now available at Amazon Books and Apple Books at the links below:
https://www.amazon.com/Living-Good.../dp/B077TK718M
https://books.apple.com/.../living-the-good.../id1318544930
Don’t despair if the world isn’t falling at your feet — you are worth more than a great many sparrows! Feel good about yourself and who you really are! Find inspiration, purpose, beauty, and TRUTH in the eight Beatitudes, explained as you’ve never read them before in inspirational narrative, prose, verse, dialog, and story. Illustrated with 36 original Barbara Smits photographs and artworks, as well as three audio songs. Order artworks and photographs through my Fine Art America "Living The Good Life With The Beatitudes" Collection to create a meditation room in your own home. Heaven is within you, and all you have to do is recognize it! Live the good life with the Beatitudes!

‎Health, Mind & Body · 2017

18/11/2024

My artwork, "A Gentle Answer Turns Away Wrath," with added text, is now available through Fine Art America. Click on the image below to go to Fine Art America for more details.

“A Gentle Answer Turns Away Wrath,” describes the meaning of the Bible passage in Solomon’s Proverbs 15:1: “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but harsh words stir up anger.”

Why not return a gentle answer for an angry inquiry and calm a potentially violent situation rather than making it worse?

A Gentle Answer Turns Away Wrath Photograph by Barbara Smits

13/11/2024

My artwork, "Cougar Grooming After Lunch," is now available through Fine Art America. Click on the image below to go to Fine Art America for more information.

"Cougar Grooming After Lunch" -- A cougar lounges on a rock while grooming its paw with a relaxed demeanor. The sunlight highlights its fur, casting a warm glow over the scene. A cougar grooms and licks its paw after lunch at the local wildlife sanctuary where it spends its days in captivity. Because of its past, the cougar cannot be released into the wild, and it seems to be quite satisfied with its present life at the wildlife sanctuary.

Cougar Grooming After Lunch Photograph by Barbara Smits

11/11/2024

My artwork, "Be As Resilient As The Willow," with added text, is now available through Fine Art America. Click on the image below to go to Fine Art America for more details.

"Be As Resilient As The Willow" -- Delicate willow leaves hang gracefully from a branch against a blurred, multicolored background. A motivational quote is centered on the image, encouraging resilience.

“Be As Resilient As The Willow” — Green willow leaves emerge in spring, bringing the promise of rebirth and vitality. It is a beautiful and welcoming scene for all who see them swaying in the spring wind. Delicate green leaves hang from a branch against a vibrant blue and green abstract background. The light filtering through the leaves creates a soft, tranquil ambiance. This image was created with AI watercolor effects from my original photograph.

From Willow Tree Symbolism and Significance: “The willow is associated with flexibility and adaptability thanks to the limber and supple nature of its branches. Many, therefore, see it as inspiring and symbolic of humans’ capability to withstand hardship, loss, and di emotions."

From P. Allen Smith: “Willow trees are some of the easiest plants to root. In fact, you can actually grow a new tree by simply taking a stem and sticking it in moist soil. It's the hormones in willows that cause such rapid rooting.”

Digital and Artistic AI effects have been added to enhance the image

Be As Resilient As The Willow Photograph by Barbara Smits

04/11/2024

My artwork, "Cardinal, God's Harbinger Of Love," is now available through Fine Art America. Click on the image below to go to Fine Art America for more details.

"Cardinal, God's Harbinger Of Love" -- A vibrant red cardinal perches gracefully on a branch, overlooking a serene river that winds through lush green trees. The sun casts a warm glow across the landscape, enhancing the vivid hues of the foliage and the red bird. This is an artificial intelligence image created from my photo of a cardinal in a tree in spring, and it is an artwork with a river and graceful tree trunks added, and the colors have been greatly enhanced. I like it! As a popular phrase says, "When cardinals appear, angels are near." "Seeing a cardinal is a sign that your loved ones or angels are near," Orth confirms. "That they are there to protect, bless and guide you...They are offering you love and encouragement."

Digital artistic filters have been added to enhance the image.

Cardinal Gods Harbinger Of Love Photograph by Barbara Smits

Old Northwest Frontier Tours