Humanities quest to find hope throughout difficult circumstances is directly intertwined in my painting. It represents the comfort we often find through faith, and the idea that there is something greater than us to believe in. The painting highlights major elements we often find ourselves using when searching to cling to something. Such as turning to the cross, praying to Jesus, using rosaries etc. Just as individuals often turn to religion to find answers/peace in times of emotional turmoil. The symbolisms represented in the painting are key elements involved in christian and even catholic faith and they are significant in depicting hope and promises of keeping faith through transgressions. Using specific symbols that nonreligious people can identify to faith was significant in this piece because it allows everyone the ability to recognize the the basic outline of the purpose and to draw into the idea that the ultimate strength that we find through prayer (including nonreligious people during times of crisis) is THE ultimate strength, because of Christ himself providing us that. It's a universal language turning to prayer despite personal beliefs and if we can convey this idea that no matter ones stance on religion or not, we all need something to cling to. I wanted to share the message that Jesus Is the one I cling to, in hopes others can find relatability in it as well when they're searching for something.

When facing spiritual battles, often times people aren't equipped emotionally, mentally, or spiritually to fight against the enemy at hand. My piece directly address this verse, as its whole purpose is describing visually the elements of faith through God and how he gives us strength against our battles. God is our protecter and provider, and his love transcends nations and religion. It touches individuals despite them not having a relationship personally with Christ. However, the painting was created open to interpretation for people to take away what they needed from it. In this case, the spiritual battle against the devil cannot be won unless we equip ourselves with prayer, and turning to center ourselves through Christ and the elements he gave us to use. The number 3 in my painting and several images of that number were intended to represent the three powers of the father, son and holy spirit. The doves were added as elements of promise with the olive branch in its beak symboling God's promise to Noah. The rosary added as an object often used by many cultures during prayer and often times used specifically during cries of desperation. And lastly, the close up image of Jesus on the cross. The ultimate sacrifice of God's promise and protection over us was Jesus' death so that we could have a chance of eternal life through him. Each of these small forms of symbolism were created to make a collective story pointing to how we search for faith, and how it's all pointing back to Jesus being the ultimate protection and peace giver through our emotional, physical and spiritual battles against the enemy.

Joy Reyes is the sole creator and artist.

The piece is $20,000 and if anyone would like to purchase it, they are welcome to reach out to me through my personal email to set up details of online payment and shipping.
Email is Joyereyes1999@gmail.com

I am a large scale painter and muralist. I also specialize in glass and recycled art sculptures. My online portfolio has examples of my recent body of work and if anyone would like to inquire about hiring me for any pieces or projects they can send a message through my website or through my personal email.
https://joyereyes.myportfolio.com