Miracle Catch

11x14 

Oil on Panel

Click Here to Purchase

Luke 5:1-11

Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in 

on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen 

had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one 

belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down 

and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, 

"Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch." Simon answered, 

"Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will 

let down the nets." When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were 

beginning to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. 

And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, 

he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" 

For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; 

and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. 

Then Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people." 

When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

40 Days: Day 33: Touched

11"x14"
Oil on Canvas

Commissioned

Luke 8:43-48

Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years; and though she had spent all she had on physicians, no one could cure her. She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his clothes, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped. Then Jesus asked, “Who touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and press in on you.” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; for I noticed that power had gone out from me.” When the woman saw that she could not remain hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before him, she declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”

This is a commissioned painting of one of my favorite stories. Thought the gospels, Jesus heals in many different ways. Sometimes with just a command, sometimes long distance, sometimes tactually and deliberately. But this time, the miracle was performed unconsciously. The woman touched Jesus, from behind, among a crowd of people. She was healed instantly. Then, Jesus does something remarkable. He sensed power leaving from him. He turned around to inquire about it. The power of God in Jesus was something real and physical enough for Jesus to sense it at work—and it was beyond his own control.

God was at work in Jesus without Jesus even knowing it until after the fact. This is a fascinating twist in the story for me.  To me, it means that Jesus was so much an instrument of God's grace ("Touched by God" if you will), that God was able to work miracles through him beyond his own actions. Have you ever tried so hard to make something go right for God? A ministry, goal or charitable effort? Sometimes they work great. Sometimes they fail. But then there are those times when something seems to go wonderfully right for God  and we had nothing to do with it—perhaps even in spite of anything we did. That is an amazing interaction. 

In the painting, The woman touches Jesus among the crowd of people. Both Jesus and the woman are highlighted so subtly that it is easy for the crowd (and the viewer) to miss. The power is real, as illustrated in the painting. But it may be only noticeable to those who have the faith to realize it. 

Miracles can happen, unexpectedly, in the most unlikely of circumstances. You are an instrument of God for the world. We are all called to serve in ways both great and small. But always remember that we belong to God. God can use us for the kingdom when we don't even know it. 

Now that is Grace.

40 Days: Day 20: Rugged Cross

5"x7" Oil on Canvas Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.

Luke 9:51

Host of Angels

8"x10" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

LUKE 2:8-20

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child;  and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Here is a link to a special video showing how I painted this piece.

Merry Christmas to you all!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNTAQIKW5Xg

Racing to Resurrection

11"x14" Oil on Canvas

with Palette Knife

SOLD

In Luke’s account of Jesus’ resurrection, the women were the first to discover the empty tomb. They ran back to tell the disciples—most of whom discounted their story. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb to see for himself. 

This painting shows Peter racing to the tomb on that early morning. Burdened with a cloak of shame and guilt from Jesus’ death, Peter is fueled by hope. Hope that his beloved Jesus is not dead. Hope that brokenness can be mended. Hope that forgiveness can be given. Hope that The Way will continue.

May we all run with that Easter hope. 

May we get up every morning and race to find our living LORD. 

The Gospels

For centuries, the four Gospels have been depicted as certain winged creatures. I suspect this was done so illiterate followers of the faith could recognize an illustration to be that of a certain Gospel. Sometimes, a famous story or parable would be painted. And if that story was found in the Gospel of Matthew, the iconic image of Matthew would appear somewhere in the painting. Other times, all four Gospels would be carved on a door or cathedral facade. Traditionally, Matthew has been represented as a man, symbolizing Christ’s humanity. Mark, a lion, for Christ’s authority. Luke, an ox, for Christ’s sacrifice. And John, an eagle, for Christ’s spirituality.

This painting is a more contemporary take on the ancient images. These beings are not winged. But there is still a subtle lighting effect behind each one to hint at something spiritual. This composition is made up of four canvases. They are arranged to make a cross. They also take your eye on a circular journey that alludes to the “eternal” in these special writings. I wanted to explore the concepts inherent in each creature. How does it broaden our understanding to see Jesus as a human, a lion, an ox, or an eagle?

Take a look at these images, and recall your favorite stories about Jesus. For the most part, all we know about the life and message of Christ is found in these four books. And these four images can also speak volumes about the mystery of Christ, “The Word Made Flesh.”

Prodigal Grace

And now we come to the climax of Jesus’ parabolic trilogy on grace. After the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin, Jesus tells us the parable of a Prodigal Son who runs off and squanders his early inheritance on his own pleasures only to come back home begging for food and shelter. Rather than being angry with the son, the father runs out to meet him and welcomes him home with a great feast. The gem in the story is more about the father than the son. He is just as wasteful, or “prodigal,” with his grace and love as the son is with money. How much more has our Heavenly Father continued to pour grace upon our lives, time and time again?

This painting depicts the father rushing to embrace his returning son. It shows a clash of two realities. The left side of the painting, the side of the son, is dusty and dead. The right side, from where the father comes, is full of light and life. The father’s love overwhelms the brokenness of the son. The pitiful, weeping, son collapses into the embrace of his father who is wrapping him up to protect, comfort, and sustain. The sweeping robe does more than illustrate movement. They are also abstract symbols of fire and water. For it is in the baptism of water and spirit that we know we belong to God. We are loved, forgiven and renewed by God’s Grace. This painting especially depicts the emotions of the father. He is painted older, to accentuate wisdom. While his left hand sweeps strongly, his right hand gently comforts. In his face, you can see the parental mix of emotions. A smile of happiness tempered with a bitter-sweet empathy for what his child has been though.

May this painting serve as a reminder to us all that we belong to a prodigally loving God who continues to allow us to make our own decisions, painfully knows how we squander our blessings, and patiently waits, looking for our return. And when we DO return, our God comes running to us full of joy and forgiveness to overwhelm our broken lives and restore us with a smothering embrace of love and grace.

The Seeker

What on earth is this person doing? What is she looking for? Why is she searching?

These are the questions I hope you will wonder when you first engage this painting. And when you discover the answer, I hope you wonder even more.

After stunning his critics with the parable of the lost sheep, Jesus hits them again with a sequel, “The Search for the Lost Coin”. This second parable tells the story of a woman who stays up all night searching for a single lost coin. When she finds the coin, she invites all of her friends and neighbors to come and celebrate with a big party. Only a compulsive disorder would drive a person stay up all night searching for the coin. And only a foolish person would waste the money to burn a lantern all night and throw a huge party worth many times more than the value of the coin. But it is with this kind of seemingly foolish grace that our God seeks after us.

Unlike the painting of the shepherd, who had found his sheep, I wanted to explore in this painting, the concept of searching. The woman in this piece is turning her home upside down in search of the lost treasure (a coin, a ring, a remote control... it doesn’t matter). The coin is never revealed in order to engage you and get you to wonder what might be worth ransacking a home in the middle of the night. Borrowing from chiaroscuro masters like Rembrant and Caravaggio, the subject is brought to light out of night’s darkness. You can faintly see the overturned chair and basket in the background. The woman’s hair is unkept. You can see that this is a long and ongoing search, and it is consuming all of the her time and energy. Is she looking under a bed, or under something strewn on the floor? Is she looking under there for the first time? Or second? Or Third? The whole point to this mystery is to meditate on the seeker and wonder about that which is lost.

Each and every one of us is God’s most treasured possession. That includes you, me, and the countless invisible, untouchable and unlovable people out there in the world. And when even one of us is lost, God will stop at nothing to get us back. There is no limit to how long God will try. There is no resource God will not employ. Eternally seeking. Even in the darkest places, in the dead of night, God still seeks to find us. We might think its crazy that God would care so much for so many and go through so much fuss over even the worst of us. But to God, we are all worth it.

Lost and Found

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus shares three parables to teach a lesson to his critics. The first is a story of a shepherd who abandons his flock to search for a single lost sheep. Once you get over the shock of the thought of a shepherd leaving 99 sheep to search for the one lost sheep, you discover the story really is about a more individualistic relationship with God. We are so prone to wander off like a lost lamb. God relentlessly pursues after us to find us and bring us home.

This painting explores the relationship of the shepherd and the sheep during their time spent together on the long journey home. There are many clues to their experience in the layers of paint. The shepherd has rescued the lamb from a forboding place far away from the pasture. He has been searching for a long time and distance. His face is blistered by wind and sun. The elements are harsh. There are rocks, thorny bushes, and strong winds. The shepherd is relieved that he as found his sheep. He holds the sheep securely on his shoulders, determined to not let the sheep get away. His weathered face reveals smiling eyes of joy and relief as he casts a loving look to the sheep, as if to say, “You little stinker”. The sheep rests peacefully on the shoulders and still kind of looks away, as if to still be tempted to want to go another direction. Warmed by the sunlight breaking through the stormy sky, and being rocked gently by the rhythm of the shepherd’s march, the sheep’s eyes begin to close on the brink of a much needed sleep. Both the sheep and the shepherd keep each other warm from the harsh winds by huddling close together. They are no longer alone. They are now in this mess together.

In today’s culture, its hard to paint the concept of a savior. So many images of Christ on a cross make us desensitized to the enormity of Christ’s sacrifice. And the whole concept of a sacrifice seems foreign to us. But here in the story of a shepherd and a sheep, we can get a glimpse of our Living Savior. A savior who relentlessly pursues after us to the ends of the earth. A savior who never gives up. A savior who rescues us, delivers us on his shoulders, and suffers with us as we journey together on the long trek home.

Let the Children Come

“Not now, I’m Busy.” How many times have we adults and parents brushed away a child asking us for something or inviting us into their world with words like these? We can get so caught up in our busy lives that we all too often think we have too little time or patience for children. Our tasks can seem so important compared to a child’s seemingly trivial concerns. If there was any adult who had so much “important” work as to not have time for children, it would have been Jesus. But, in the midst of his journey towards Jerusalem, when the pressure to get his message out was great, Jesus made time for children. When his disciples scolded their parents for bothering the Master with someone so trivial as children, Jesus rebukes them by saying, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

Children are like lights. They sparkle with wonder, imagination, love and faith. The second we take the time to stop what we’re doing and welcome a child into our heart, we become illuminated by their light. And for a moment, our worries go away and our burdens are lightened. It is this magic that I tried to capture in paint.

Although the scene here is not literal to the context of the story, I believe the message still speaks. Jesus often went off by himself to pray. I imagined him taking such a rest under a tree in the heat of the day. Some children, who may have been playing near by, happen across Jesus. More children of different ages approach Jesus. Some are reserved. Some frolic and prance, some tug and play with his cloak. Jesus welcomes them all. The scene is speckled with light dancing through the trees. And the Kingdom of God is displayed.

So the next time a child comes to you to show you their drawing, tell you what they’ve discovered, asks you for help, or invites you to play tag, take a moment and welcome them into your so busy and complicated life. You just might be enlightened by a glimpse of the Kingdom of God.

The Emmaus Road

This is an oil painting of the post-resurrection story found in the Gospel of Luke. It depicts the disciples and Jesus on the road to Emmaus. The piece was intended to convey the feeling of new life, grace and worship. The fragmented colors and light in the tree tops are abstracted to resemble stained glass. The trees cross each other to resemble archways. I wanted to make the point that this is the new day of the Church. A new world where Christ reveals himself to us, journeys with us, comforts us and ministers to us. A Church where we glorify God and minister to each other daily in the most beautiful cathedral ever built, this Good Earth. More than just a painting of a story, this piece is a vision of today’s reality, when seen through eyes of faith.

Have a beautiful day.

"My Eyes Have Seen Salvation"

OK. I know for most of us Christmas is so 2009. But for many Christian traditions, the Incarnation of Christ is still being celebrated. This piece was created to to help celebrate the Advent and Christmas season of 2009/2010 for my church. It went with a series of sermons that were themed together under the title "People of The Promise".

This painting is set in the context of a story in Luke 2:21-35 where Jesus is being presented in the temple. It is the moment when Simeon holds Jesus and gazes on The Promise fulfilled. In the background, the witnesses are other figures of Jesus’ past, present and future, who’s eyes have also “seen salvation.”

From left they are:

Jeremiah (holding a staff intertwined with a vine sprouting a new shoot)

John the Baptist (placing a comforting hand on the shoulder of his mother)

Elizabeth

Mary (looking motherly towards Jesus. She also leans slightly towards Elizabeth hinting at a sense of closeness that only they can share.)

Joseph

Simeon (hunched over to bring the baby Jesus into view of his weary, aging eyes)

I love how this juxtaposes the timeline of events around Jesus. I also love the intergenerational nature of this piece. And when you think about it, this piece also has a lot of baptismal significance.

The story of Simeon is one of my favorite Christmas stories. But it is seldom read in worship. I think that is a major reason why I like it so much. When the rest of the world has had their fill of mangers and shepherds, it's nice to know there are still some Christmas surprises left in the scriptures.