Annunciation - The First Joyful Mystery

Then the angel said to her, “Do notbe afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”— Luke 1:30-33

The First Joyous Mystery is my first painting in what I plan to be a series depicting the 20 mysteries of the Rosary.  The traditional Annunciation scent shows the angel Gabriel visiting the young Mary to tell her that she has been chosen to bear a son that will be the Messiah foretold in the old testament.  My painting of the scene is much more symbolic in nature showing the orange pathway (representing the primary colors of red for Christ and yellow for God the Father) that forever defines her life if she chooses to accept the call.  The blue semi-circle (a metaphor for the Holy Spirit) shows  the Blessed Mother the ominous future of her decision.  The wings of Gabriel are shown beside the pathway guiding Mary along the path of her life.

 

Prudence - The First Cardinal Virtue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prudence is my latest painting, a 30X40 canvas depicting the Cardinal Virtue of Prudence.  This will ultimately be part of a four painting series dedicated to the Cardinal Virtues of Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, and Temperance.  I began with Prudence since it has long been considered the guide for the other virtues (auriga virtutum).  Prudence disposes practical reason to discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it.

Been away from my blog for too long!

 

Well it's been many years since my last blog in 2009.  I haven't stopped painting, but other facets of my life have kept me from being as active as I would like.  Well I'm back!!!

This image is from Series - Virtues and Conversions that took longer to finish than I expected.  The Virtues and Conversions series takes the viewer through three religious conversions guided by three virtues. 

 These and more can be found at www.mcneelart.com.

 

Trinity

The Blessed Trinity is an oil painting on a 21X34 lauan panel. The painting presents the viewer with the image of a seascape that forms the backdrop for a surreal triad of primary shapes and colors – a yellow triangle, a red cube, and a blue circle. The shapes interact with two lines that intersect at a right angle and are derived by drawing diagonals through the mother/daughter pair of golden rectangles contained in the dimensions of the panel. The long diagonal symbolizes time and the short diagonal symbolizes space. The Father God the Father is symbolized by a yellow triangle. The triangle has long been a symbol for God and reason, as evidenced by the Hebrew use of an equilateral triangle to symbolize God; and the many versions of the Eye of God image that appear throughout history. The position of the triangle at the intersection of time and space symbolizes God’s mastery over creation. The color associated with The Father is yellow, the brightest and warmest of the three primary colors. Yellow shines with a brilliance that overwhelms all other colors. The Son Jesus Christ is symbolized by the red cube. The three dimensional cube represents matter and weight. Likewise in his humanity, Christ was an inhabitant of the earth with form and mass. When the sides of a cube are opened as in the illustration, a cross is formed which symbolizes Christ’s victory over death. The image of the cube appears much closer to the viewer and is part of the seascape. The color of the cube is red, the symbol of life, courage, valor and martyrdom.

The Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit is symbolized by a blue circle. The circle is a locus of points moving at a constant distance from a central point, which is in contrast to the sharp lines and angles of the other two shapes. The circle represents the gentile movement of the spirit flowing through our lives. It is much larger in relation to the triangle and cube because the Holy Spirit interacts with us to a greater extent and thus has a greater influence on our actions. The great size of the circle does not have the mass of the cube nor the brilliance of the triangle. Rather, it is a floating, airy spiritual image that is difficult to see but easy to sense. The color of the circle is transparent blue, the symbol of cool water and flowing motion.

Fall of Lucifer Donated to Art With Heart 2010

Everyone who has admired Fall of Lucifer can have the opportunity to bid on the framed oil painting at the Art with Heart fundraiser in support of the San Jose Clinic.

For more information, please go to: http://ftp.sanjoseclinic.org/coppermine/thumbnails.php?album=9

The Phlegethon

This acrylic painting is titled The Phlegethon. The image is that of the fiery river Phlegethon as it flows through Tartarus - The area of Hades reserved for punishment of souls deemed unworthy by the gods. The painting is an 18X15.5 canvas mounted to a reused Plexiglas sheet.

I like using plexi panels because they are impervious to the atmosphere, vermin, normal temperature ranges, and most chemicals. They also give me the opportunity to keep non-biodegradable materials out of our landfills, and put their longevety to good use.

Elysian Fields

This is my latest acrylic painting. Elysian Fields is a 16X20 canvas panel (canvas mounted to a sheet of acrylic plexiglass).

Happy 4th of July America!

This is a 24X36 acrylic painting that I recently completed to commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence. How many people throughout the world owe not only their freedom, but their very existence to the founding fathers of this great country and successive generations of American heroes?

Blessed Trinity Completed

I posted a WIP image of this on April 12, 2009, and have finally completed the painting after starting and stoping many times.

The idea behind the painting is to present the concept of the Blessed Trinity graphically using the metaphor of the primary colors and primary shapes to represent the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

God the Father is yellow, the warmest and brightest of the primary colors. The triangle symbolizes perfection, thought, and creative power.

Jesus, God the Son, is red to symbolize his martyrdom. Red is the color of love, courage and human passion. It symbolizes the humanity of Jesus through the blood that ran through his mortal body. Likewise the square is the symbol for the earth, the domain of humanity.

The Holy Spirit is symbolized by the cool fluidity of blue. The circle symbolizes relaxation and smooth motion. It represents the guidance, inspiration and grace that we receive from the Holy Spirit.

I have also worked with the composition to give it a feel of depth with the blue circle moving closer to the viewer and the yellow triangle moving to the background.

Galveston Waits for Ike

Here is the finished version of Galveston Waits for Ike - unless I begin to obsess over some of the details.

Galveston Waits for Ike - WIP

This is an initial layer of a painting that depicts the beach at Galveston just before Ike begins its approach. A fishing pier will be added just at the horizon line. Below is a brief narrative of the painting's key elements.

The granite sentries keep watch in the eternal struggle between land and sea. The looming assault from hurricane Ike is a couple of days off the coast of Galveston, Texas. Allied with the land, we have added a concrete seawall along the border and stationed the sentries in front. A lone pier extends the land over the sea and facilitates the harvest of food from its depths. In the end, the land will stand firm and prevail against the sea, but the pier will fall victim to the violence.

The Futile Crescent - Finished

Here is the finished version of The Futile Crescent. The images all point to the long history of war and conquest that has characterized the fertile crescent.

My next painting is a somber view of the Galveston coastline as Ike approaches.

Futile Crescent - Continued

Here is an update to the painting.

Futile Crescent - Continued

This is a continuation of the previous post. The paint is still wet, which causes a glare in some areas of the photo. Essentially, I have added some detail to the crossed sabers, the Mosque on the right side the 50 cal, and the Yusafiyah power plant.

The Futile Crescent - WIP

This is another work in progress. It is an oil painting on an 18X24 lauan panel. My son, who is currently deployed with the Army Infantry in Baghdad, suggested the painting. I think that I have all of the elements in place, with the possible exception of a crescent moon in the upper right corner.

The Blessed Trinity-WIP

This is my latest painting, which is still a work in progress, titled Blessed Trinity. It is an abstract representation of the christian dogma of the Blessed Trinity - three unique and distinct divine Persons who form the single God. I am still trying to work out the composition and the symbolism, so any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Fall of Lucifer

I just completed the oil painting at the left. It is a 24X36 abstract image of St. Michael defeating Lucifer and casting him into the emptiness of hell. The painting is executed in painting knife on stretched canvas. The concept is to use multiple layers of thick paint with an emphasis on primary colors to depict the violence of combat between the two spiritual beings.

This is a continuation of my desire to bring modern techniques and materials to traditional Catholic themes.

The Annunciation

Here is the more or less completed version of The Annunciation. It is charcoal and acrylic paint on a 24X30 lauan panel. A cord rosary has been pressed into a thick layer of gesso to leave its impression in the painting.

Study for The Annunciation

This is a rough study for a painting of the Annunciation that I am beginning. The idea is to portray the moment that the Blessed Mother accepts the responsibility for concieving, giving birth to and raising our Savior.

I intend to keep the image loose with the original charcoal sketch visible over the glazing. This is a project that I discussed in an earlier blog entry; to execute a series of paintings that portray the Mysteries of the Rosary in a way that will help the viewer meditate on each Mystery.

Creation of Eve

This is my newest creation, which is titled Creation of Eve. The image depicts the moment when God created Eve from the side or rib of Adam.
The painting is on a 26X16 stretched canvas. There is a thick oil ground that provides some texture under the painted image. Comments are as always appreciated.