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This is a set of paintings that were commissioned by First Methodist Church of Conover in Conover, NC. They were illustrated to be displayed in the church’s annual ‘Journey to Jerusalem Prayer Walk’, a self-paced, multi-sensory event that has the viewer encounter the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Bible verses were where I derived the visual concepts for these works, as I achieve to use key words to pull out details in the paintings to help illustrate the narratives.
Matthew 14: 22-27 – Jesus Walks on the Water
22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. 27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
This composition illustrates Jesus walking on water while gradually being illuminated from a break in the clouds.
1) I chose to not include any of the disciples in this painting because I wanted this part of the narrative to focus on Jesus as the focal point of the work. This is achieved visually by rendering lighter values that create implied line that lead to the main figure. Also, the angle of the boat and how it is cropped could imply that the disciples are just cropped out (if the image was extended out the disciples would also create implied line as they focus on the miracle.
2) I also chose to exaggerate the light around Jesus’s contour to make him appear to glow. I experimented with the use of white marker and white chalk pastel. Using these mediums to include mark-making throughout the work to help enhance the movement overall.
Matthew 8: 28-34 – Jesus Casting the Demons with the Pigs
28 When He arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met Him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. 29 “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”
30 Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding.31 The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”
32 He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water. 33 Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they pleaded with Him to leave their region.
This composition illustrates the moment Jesus casts demons into a herd of pigs that fall over the edge of a cliff and drown.
1) When I was brainstorming the composition for this work I was inspired by a photograph taken by David Wojnarowicz, an American modern artist. This visual of buffalo running off a steep cliff is exactly how I wanted to portray the pigs in this work.
2) I also chose to incorporate a very strong sense of energy and movement with a complementary color scheme (a range of blues in the background complementing the browns and oranges in the rocks). This is combined with an exaggerated light source, making the side of the rock facade glow.
3) Again, I continued to experiment with white marker and white chalk pastel to add an extra layer of movement and texture to the work.
Matthew 14: 34-36 – Jesus Heals Many Sick in Gennesaret
34 And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and brought to him all who were sick 36 and implored him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it where made well.
This composition illustrates Jesus healing many sick people in Gennesaret.
1) I wanted this composition to feel layered and crowded, especially with the positioning of the figures (foreground, middle ground, background). Some of the figures in the distance appear to be fading which helps to give the composition a sense of atmosphere.
2) I wanted to stay consistent with the first composition (‘Jesus Walking on Water’) in terms of color and value. A strong light source is rendered in the upper right section of the composition which helps to set the tone for all the figures throughout the work.
3) Again, I continued to experiment with white marker and white chalk pastel to add an extra layer of movement and texture to the work. I also use this type of mark-making around Jesus to help differentiate him from the rest of the figures and to help emphasize the miracle he is performing.
John 9: 1-11 – Jesus Heals a Blind Man
1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam”. So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was. Other said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”
10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.
11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”
This composition illustrates Jesus healing a blind man. This composition layout is a bit different than the other works as it is more portrait based. However, the elements I am using show consistency and cohesion with the other works overall.
1) I chose to zoom in and focus on the 2 figures rather than the environment they are in. I use a darker negative space to apply a strong contrast in value with the exaggerated highlights. This is a type of “chiaroscuro” (which means contrast between light and dark values in Italian) and was used in many Renaissance and Baroque artists’ works, such as Caravaggio and Rembrandt.
2) Again, I continued to experiment with white marker and white chalk pastel to add an extra layer of movement and texture to the work. The way the mark-making appears to “radiate” from the bland man shows energy and movement, something that is consistently shown in the other pieces of this mini-series.
3) Originally, I was going to render the blind man with his eyes closed. I chose to put a blindfold on him while painting the final work because I feel the message comes across a bit more clearly. Sometimes, even though I plan everything out in the beginning stages, I will also reflect, revise, and refine, even all the way to the last stages of the work.
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