As I travel around the world, I take in images of humanity that remind me of our omnipresent God. Human figures in action resonate deeply with me because they hold mysterious narratives in context while expressing universal gestures of humankind. I enjoy isolating the figure from its context and layering it with a biblical reference that fits the ethos of the captured moment. I begin by layering the canvas background with a collage of Bible pages from the scripture reference, then tinting the surface to push it into the background. The chosen figure then takes center stage, capturing the viewer’s eye and solely encompassing the message of the piece. My colors are intentionally fleshy to establish a human-to-human connection. Compositionally, I vignette the figure with a flight of birds to suggest the movement of the verse. Fish & Loaves is a piece that symbolizes God’s overflowing compassion and power, as illustrated in the fish and loaves story in all four Gospels. My desire is for the art to remind us to have faith in a God who will provide for us even when we feel hopeless and overwhelmed. Miracles are ubiquitous; we need to open our hearts to the possibilities.

Matthew's account presents the fish and loaves story, set in a remote location where Jesus was speaking to large crowds. As evening’s darkness began, Matthew recounts the disciples asking Jesus to send the people away to the village to buy food, but Jesus says, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” This confused the disciples, who knew only of five loaves of bread and two fish in the crowd’s food supply. Then the miracle occurred as Jesus turned the meager offering into a satisfying feast for the thousands present, with leftovers to spare. Christians and non-Christians know this story as one about compassion for the weak and weary. When we give all that we have to Him, He multiplies the gift in return. Mark tells the same story but adds that the cost to feed the crowd would be a year’s wages. Luke adds that Jesus divided the people into groups to organize a system of distribution. In John’s rendition, Jesus tests the disciples by asking them where they should buy bread for the people to eat, only to know exactly what He would eventually do. In John’s story, we learn that the five loaves of bread and two fish belonged to a small boy. As noted in all four gospels, Jesus usually preferred to work through people to perform miracles, and scripture reminds us that we are never too young or too old to serve Him. My artwork portrays the innocence of the small boy, his meager offering, surrounded by the Holy Spirit, depicted by a flight of birds. The work aims to instill hope of a miracle when one feels isolated and despairing. God can do wonders through what we have to offer Him if we step out in faith.

email purchase request at sjceas@gmail.com
32"x26" acrylic on scripture collage on canvas
$2177

I speak about art and spirituality for churches and universities, and facilitate art engagements with organizations. Reach out to sjceas@gmail.com