Work
In Progress
Current
"For God So Loved The World..."
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108 North Main Street
Potosi, WI 53820
608-763-2852
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115 North Main Street
Potosi, WI 53820
A few years ago while attending a TEC retreat reunion I was sitting in prayer in St. Clement's Catholic Church in Lancaster. While I was praying I visualized an image of Christ floating on the cross, above the earth, high in the atmosphere. I didn't understand why that image came to my mind's eye but I grabbed my pen and sketched out the drawing above. After tha night it resided on my dresser for about 2-3 years. Someday I would paint it.
I had started to prepare for the eventual painting by creating my composition of color and light digitally using Strata CX 3D, Poser, and Photoshop CS3. This allowed me to work out all the compositional details. Delve into some color studies, and see how the lighting effects would work. I set the digital thumbnail aside unitl about a month ago when I was forced, under pressure from my family, to "clean up" the studio since our oldest daughter's future In-Laws were coming down to visit. While straightening everything up I put a blank canvas on the easle.
A few days later it called me to draw this image on it. and within a few days I was painting furiously.
This painting flew by so fast that I have not had time to post it's progress for you here so I will just put all of the WIP images here and let you browse them.
Origanlly this was to be called "Christ of the Earth" With the intent that it represents Christ bring the light of His salvation to the world. Which it still does. But I also believe that it was revealed to me wjhile painting that it means much more.
It represents the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that has been ever present 24/7/365 since the inception of the church here on Earth. At anypoint in time in this world, somewhere the Mass has/is being presented to God by the holy hands of our blessed priests.
Christ came from the Father (the red Nebula) and brings His light to the world represented by the breaking of dawn ahead of His coming, breaking the bonds of darkness. The light behind Him is the Spirit enlightening the world with His message of peace and salvation.
Because of this the title changed to "For God So Loved The World...JN3:16"
On a personal note, I found this work energizuing and calming while I worked on it. I am currently on overtime with my full time job and have been fairly busy with Main Street Fine Art & Frame too. When I get home at 10:00pm I am wiped but this painting would not let me sleep. I know it seems wierd, but my paintings become an intimate part of my existence while I am working on them and I, at times, will get up from bed just to go in and put another stroke or two on a work if it feels unsettled when I go to bed. This one would give me the energy to paint for another two hours and still wake up reasonably refreshed. It was amazing!
Straying from my normal route of using watercolor, this work is acrylic on canvas...22" x 28 to be exact and will be available soon in a paper print with an image of 11"x 14" and a larger canvas version too (size TBD)
Anyway I hope you like it and I have several other ideas that I am working on so please check back soon. God Bless and have a great day or evening!
The original sketch
The digital sketch
