Artist bio

My name is Kendall Barthelmy and I'm from St.Lucia, within the Caribbean. I am someone who finds identity in a few things which have been part of me, for a while now, some from a young age; My knack and passion for the arts, my love for nature, adventure & the outdoors, and last but not least, the pursuit of my faith in God & Christ. These even have various opportunities to intertwine, which is amazing. I have loved visual art in particular from the time I was a toddler, drawing my favourite cartoon characters-which themselves were created by artists. These formed a great part of my childhood and my art was a vehicle to carry these memories onward. As time moved on, I augmented my drawing with painting, digital painting, and most recently photography-which then made me curious about video. It can be very challenging at times without proper equipment, especially since recently getting into it. However, it has been a great adventure so far and I hope to continue along those lines. Photography and video link well with my adventurous spirit because I love documenting my thrilling adventures, and so adventure gives rise to me practicing them both. Aside from being fun and thrilling, I also love nature just by simply knowing that the Almighty's hand is behind it. The way nature is set perfectly before us is just something I cannot get enough of, and then to know that this creator seeks covenant with us is amazing. Moreover, just as God creates, he has given me a talent to create, while enjoying his creation. I therefore love how these converge, and I just want to keep on the up, using my talent to glorify him as number 1.

Title

Mercy triumphs

Medium/Genre

Painting

Artist Statement

This artwork is a painting triptych reflecting the main theme behind Ephesians 6. Originally I had come up with this triptych idea for a previous Engage competition, however, did not get to execute the idea fully. I therefore decided that it would be a good idea to revisit this piece and illustrate the battle which is highlighted in Ephesians 6.

How it fits into contest

In the first panel, 2 young men are about to clash, however their mindsets about their squabble are different. In the 2nd panel, instead of retaliating fire with fire, one of the young men decides that he’s going to show compassion and instead catches the ferocious fist with a firm hug. This resolve is shocking to the aggressor, much like scripture says in Romans 12:14-21. The mercy, compassion and heart shown by one young man eventually changes him and instead of fighting against flesh & blood, they now band together with the armour of God to fight darkness.

Credits

Cornelius Cadette
Jhad Stephen

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The 2026 Engage Art Contest will be accepting new artwork in January 2026!