Union

 

8"x10" Oil on Panel

Published work for 

"Rejoice! Advent Meditations with the Holy Family"

with Ascension Press

Click Here to Purchase

Advent is here, and that means another installment of the Rejoice! Advent series from Ascension Press. This is the third year that I have had the pleasure of illustrating for the Rejoice! prayer journal and companion videos. Watch for future posts where I will share my interpretations of the Rejoice! images.

 

New this year are Advent prayer cards with my artwork on the front. Learn more the prayer journals, prayer cards, videos, art prints and live offerings available this season at Ascension Press.

Who You Say I Am

11"x14" Oil on Canvas

Click Here to Purchase

It's hard to believe that it has only been a decade since I made the first bog post of my art. Since then, I have grown so much as an artist and as a person. In the past decade, I have discovered plein-air and abstract painting, mastered the palette knife, seen my work published on the covers of CDs, magazines and books, and heard from fans and patrons all over the world. I can't wait to see what growth will happen over the next decade.

This paining is an abstract impression of a contemporary worship song of the same name by Hillsong Worship. It is an interpretation of the music and God's loving vision for our lives. 

You can hear the inspiring song by clicking here:
Who You Say I Am by Hillsong Worship

As we plan our goals for a new decade, may we rememberer who we are and who we are becoming. 

Have a blessed New Year!

Embarking for Bethlehem

Oil on Panel for 

"Rejoice! Advent Meditations with Joseph" Journal
by Ascension Press

Mary and Joseph loved each other. The Incarnation in Mary's womb did not change that fact. For many couples, pregnancy is a mixed-bag of stresses and joys. I'm sure Joseph and Mary were no exception. They shared a bond and an experience like no other couple on earth. That experience could have overwhelmed them and separated them. But Mary and Joseph's strong love for each other, and for God, strengthened their union. It was that strength that enabled them to make the long journey to a Bethlehem stable and bear the Christ child.
In this painting for Ascension Press, we see Mary and Joseph preparing to embark for Bethlehem. As Joseph helps Mary onto the donkey, they pause for a brief moment to gaze into each others eyes and remember their love. The stress of pregnancy, the responsibilities of parenthood, the census, the journey ahead, all go away for a moment. They pause, their hearts flutter, and they smile—because they know that love endures all things.

Love Your Enemies

5x7 

Oil on Canvas Panel

Available

Luke 6:27-38

Jesus said, "I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 

bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, 

offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 

Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them 

again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those 

who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? 

For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, 

what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 

But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. 

Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind 

to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. 

Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, 

pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure 

you give will be the measure you get back."

_______________________

In this Sunday's scripture, Jesus continues to turn the world upside down 

with the call to love our enemies. I recently heard "love" defined as 

"willing the good for the other." (Fr. Mike Schmitz)

This abstract painting expresses the struggle to live out that calling. 

How does the call to love our enemies conflict with our definitions of justice and fairness? 

How does this calling translate in abusive situations?

How much of a difference would living this calling make in today's polarized society?

How different would the world be if we actually loved our enemies? 

Hills and Valleys

Hills and Valleys

30"x40" Oil on Deep Edge Canvas

Available Here

God is LORD of the hills and the valleys. 

Come what may we belong to God.

Thank you for all of the blessings in 2018.

And especially for your prayers.

May God's love surround you all in the new year.

40 Days: Day 38: Mandatum

5"x7"
Oil on Canvas

with Palette Knife

SOLD

"A new commandment I give unto you: 

That you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another."

Today we celebrate Maundy Thursday. The name "Maundy" comes from the latin "Mandatum" which means "Mandate." On this day, we remember Jesus' last supper with His disciples. On that night, he washed their feet and commanded them to do the same. He also took the bread and the cup form the passover meal and declared them as symbols of his body and blood—given for all of mankind. He also instructed them to remember Him in the breaking of bread and drinking of the cup. 

This abstract mashes all of those themes together as an outpouring act of love. 

It portrays the tone of the evening, the call to remember, and the command to love.

40 Days: Day 31: Infinity Crosses

8.5""x11" Digital Art

Click Here for Digital Download

Still making up for lost time, here are three infinity cross designs. These crosses have no beginning or end. Likewise, God's love for us never ends. Trace these crosses and think about all of the ways God continues to love you. Try drawing infinity crosses of your own. 

40 Days: Day 4: Water to Wine

6"x6" Oil on Canvas

Commissioned

John 2:1-11, The Wedding at Cana

On the third day there was a marriage at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; Jesus also was invited to the marriage, with his disciples. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now six stone jars were standing there, for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the steward of the feast.” So they took it. When the steward of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first; and when men have drunk freely, then the poor wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.” This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

There are no parables in the Gospel of John. Jesus' miracles are parable enough. They are "signs" revealing the kingdom reality. There are so many things to meditate upon in this story. Mary's perspective. Jesus' perspective. The servants' perspective. Spend time with this story however you like. But as for this commissioned painting, the focus is on the the jars of water. 

The wedding and the main characters in the story are represented in the festive colors in the background. The focus is on the stone jars now filled with wine, reflecting festive colors dancing on the surface. They jars are filled to the brim with plain water. But after being changed by Christ, thanks to the faith of his mother and executed rather quietly, the water is transformed to wine and becomes the star of the show and an abundant gift of grace to all. 

God can take the most ordinary of things and, with grace and love, make them extraordinary. Simple canned goods can become life-savers for food-insecure families. Smiles can become ambassadors of hope for hurting souls. Everything in our very ordinary lives can become extraordinary gifts of grace. Our very lives can be used as signs of God's grace to the world. With God all things are possible.

New Earth

12"x12" Oil on Deep Edged Canvas

with Palette Knife

As an artist, I’m very aware of the concept of “work in progress.” It’s that messy stage of a painting that lives between inspiration and completion. Often times, many artists are reluctant to share their “WIPs” with others for fear of judgment or rejection of their unfinished work. The audience cannot see the end result. It exists only in the mind’s eye of the artist. 

This year’s Advent scriptures show us images of a world changing into a new creation of joy, justice and peace. From beating swords into plowshares to lions and fatlings lying together, the images of God’s kingdom abound in these ancient texts of hope. 

Two thousand years after Christ, however, we struggle to find where these dreams have come fully true. But if we look at God’s work of grace though Jesus Christ as a WIP, the discrepancies make more sense. 

During Advent we live out this mystery. We celebrate by remembering the Prophets of old, longing for the Advent of Emmanuel. By doing so, we also wait for Christ’s return. Christ has come. Christ will come again. And somewhere in between, we continue in the WIP of the kingdom.

The painting for this year’s “Joy to the World” Advent theme is called “New Earth.” The inspiration comes from Revelation 21, where we are shown images of a new heaven and a new earth. The painting depicts a future earth, full of joy and peace, in orbit with the Christ star. It is to give us perspective and hope when we are discouraged in our season of working and waiting. We are all a work in progress. We need these images from scripture to glimpse the big picture from God, the master painter, and keep ourselves motivated to work towards the completion of God’s masterpiece of grace.

40 Days: Day 17: Healing

6"x6" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

40 Days: Day 10: Quiet

6"x6" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

O  Lord, my heart is not lifted up,

    my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
   too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,

    like a weaned child with its mother;
    my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.

O Israel, hope in the Lord

    from this time on and forevermore.

Psalm 131

40 Days: Day 5: Inseparable Love

6"x6" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

Click Here to Purchase

Romans 8:38-39New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Happy Valentine's Day!

What Wondrous Love Is This 18x24

18"x24" Acrylic on Deep Edged Canvas

with Palette Knife

As the lesson of Lent begins, I'm posting an enlargement of the hymn abstract of "What Wondrous Love Is This". You can see the original 8x10 here.


What Wondrous Love Is This
American Folk Hymn

What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this
That caused the Lord of bliss
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul!

When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down,
When I was sinking down, sinking down,
When I was sinking down
Beneath God’s righteous frown,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul for my soul,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul.

To God and to the Lamb I will sing, I will sing;
To God and to the Lamb I will sing;
To God and to the Lamb,
Who is the great I AM,
While millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing,
While millions join the theme, I will sing.

And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on;
And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on.
And when from death I’m free
I’ll sing His love for me,
And through eternity I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on,
And through eternity I’ll sing on.

Prayer of Adoration

6"x6" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

30 Paintings in 30 Days: January, 2015—Day 15

Of course, not all prayer from our hearts are filled with need and brokeness. There is plenty of love, wonder and joy in our hearts for prayers of adoration. So today's prayer abstract is one of love and adoration. 

Plus, I couldn't help but celebrate a little on this the half-way mark of this 30 day journey.

Prayer of Petition

6"x6" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

30 Paintings in 30 Days: January, 2015—Day 11

It seems that 2015 has been a rough beginning for too many people close to me. Many prayers have been given for them. Remembering back to an abstract I made on prayer last year, I'm painting a new prayer abstract today. This time, it is a prayer of petition. A prayer to lift others up to God. A prayer for healing, strength and peace. 

May it this painting help you as you pray for the needs of those close to your heart.

Peace.

The Sower

8"x10" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

30 Paintings in 30 Days: January, 2015—Day 6

Today's painting is another illumination. This time the subject is Jesus' parable of The Sower.  

"A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell on the path and was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered for lack of moisture. Some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it. Some fell into good soil, and when it grew, it produced a hundredfold."

We tend to reflect on what kinds of soil we are. But recently, I've been thinking about the Sower. The Sower doesn't worry about getting ALL of the seed into the good soil. The seed is liberally thrown about everywhere. Once distributed, nature takes care of the rest. Jesus tells this parable to his Disciples, I think, to prepare them for ministry. We should spread grace the same way God gives us grace—to all—not just those who appear to be worthy.

So this painting's view of the Sower is from the ground up—for we are indeed the soil. What we see from that vantage point is a prodigal Sower, joyfully throwing seeds of grace to all the world. 

Holy Family

8"x10" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

30 Paintings in 30 Days: January, 2015—Day 3

One of my resolutions for this year is to make more paintings of biblical stories and faith-based themes—what I like to call "illuminations." Painting illuminations was where my painting career began and I'm feeling a strong calling to return to my roots. 

Still in the spirit of Christmas, today's painting depicts Joseph, Mary and a toddler Jesus walking though town. In my opinion, the art world doesn't have enough child Jesus portraits. There are tons of infant Jesus paintings, and plenty of adult ones. To me, a child Jesus, toddling around, is a great way to see the humanity of Christ. After seeing a great painting of a child Jesus in the local paper at Christmas, I decided to take a shot at painting one of my own.

The family is out for a walk. They could be going to the market or to the synagogue for worship. Perhaps they are just out for a little fresh air—allowing Jesus to see the world with his fresh little eyes. Where they go is up to you. The real point is that they are taking the time to go together as a family. The parents are patiently slowing down to walk with the young Jesus, barely able to stand on his own two feet. 

I titled this painting "Holy Family." What makes the family holy, really? Is it because Jesus is in their lives? Is it because they have faith in God? Perhaps. But are they uniquely different from other families? No. I would contend that most families could be considered "holy." 

Families today, traditional or otherwise, share the same qualities as Jesus' family. When a parent, or parents, lovingly teaches a child to understand right from wrong—that's holy. When parents slow down with patience to connect with their children—that's holy. When a family spends quality time together—even if it's via FaceTime from half a world away—that's holy. When we go to worship—that's holy. Even a loving couple without children can be a holy family. Wherever there is love, there is God. Any relationship with God in their lives is a holy family.

I hope you take some time to reflect with this painting and think about all that is holy in your life. 

Mother & Child

11"x14" Oil on Canvas

with Palette Knife

COMMISSIONED

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge: January—Day 28

Sometimes when I finish a painting, I feel a sense of gratitude to have been able to be a part of the subject's beauty. It is a joy and honor to have the opportunity to express this beautiful moment with my art. This portrait's true power is love.