Here is the finished version of Sacred Heart. 

I will be stretching and testing a supply of 100% hemp canvas.  It is moisture-resistant, stronger than linen and only slightly more expensive than cotton.  It is sustainable, requires limited water and it does not requre pesticides or herbicides.  Hemp canvas was used extensively by artists through the 18th century.  In fact, the word canvas is derived from cannibus.  I will post pictures as the testing progresses.

Here is my latest work in progress - Sacred Heart.  It is a 24x20 oil painting on stretched canvas.

The Resurrection is a 30X24 oil painting on stretched canvas that represents the moment of Christ's Resurrection, when the risen Christ emerges from hell after freeing the penitent souls imprisoned by original sin. 

"I answer that It was fitting for Christ to descend into hell. First of all, because He came to bear our penalty in order to free us from penalty, according to Isaiah 53:4: "Surely He hath borne our infirmities and carried our sorrows." But through sin man had incurred not only the death of the body, but also descent into hell. Consequently since it was fitting for Christ to die in order to deliver us from death, so it was fitting for Him to descend into hell in order to deliver us also from going down into hell. Hence it is written (Hosea 13:14): "O death, I will be thy death; O hell, I will be thy bite." Secondly, because it was fitting when the devil was overthrown by the Passion that Christ should deliver the captives detained in hell, according to Zechariah 9:11: "Thou also by the blood of Thy Testament hast sent forth Thy prisoners out of the pit." And it is written (Colossians 2:15): "Despoiling the principalities and powers, He hath exposed them confidently." Thirdly, that as He showed forth His power on earth by living and dying, so also He might manifest it in hell, by visiting it and enlightening it. Accordingly it is written (Psalm 23:7): "Lift up your gates, O ye princes," which the gloss thus interprets: "that is--Ye princes of hell, take away your power, whereby hitherto you held men fast in hell"; and so "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow," not only "of them that are in heaven," but likewise "of them that are in hell," as is said in Philippians 2:10."

St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica

Here is The Seven Deadly Sins with some additional work in the yellow area at the top right.  I have reduced the intensity of the yellow, which was drawing the eye away from the overall composition.  As described in my earlier post, I have categorized the sins into primary and secondary, with sloth being the threshold to perdition, where lack of action allows the other sins to prevail.  Earlier Church descriptions have stated that pride is primary sin with the others being directly tied to it.  Greed has also been argued as the primary sin.  Pope Gregory the Great listed the sins from most deadly to least as; pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony and lust.

In 2008, the Vatican added an additional seven social sins consisting of polluting, genetic engineering, being obscenely rich, drug dealing, abortion, pedophilia and causing social injustice.  Hmmm, this could turn into a series.

The Seven Deadly Sins has been a project for several months.  The idea is to organize the seven deadly sins into primary, secondary colors and grey.  Each represents a different sin and each slides into the total darkness of hell.  Grey represents sloth and forms the threshold to the abyss.  This represents the relationship of sloth to the other sins, in that it allows the other sins to grow and fester in the human soul.  The three primary sins are greed/yellow, pride/red and lust/blue.  The secondary sin of envy is orange, a combination of greed and pride.  Wrath is violet, which is the combination of pride and lust.  Finally, gluttony is green, which is the combination of greed and lust.  The horrifying image of lost souls can be seen in the violent swirls of color of each sin.

This is the more or less completed preliminary study for The First Joyous Mystery executed in acrylic paint on a 16X20 canvas panel.  I have described my thought process in the previous post on the subject, but have worked the image for more detail. 

I plan to expand this into a series of 20 oil paintings presenting the mysteries of the rosary.  

Let us not choose comfort over joy!

Here is a work-in-progress painting that depicts the Annunciation - The First Joyous Mystery. Rather than trying to re-create the scene of the Angel Gabriel visiting Mary, my goal is to represent visually the emotional turmoil that Mary must have experienced at the sight of an archangel announcing that she was chosen to be the mother of the Savior.  I use an orange
trapezoid to represent the vibrant cheery comfort of the Blessed Mother's young existence.  The blue circle represents the uncertain future that is offered by Gabriel.  By accepting the offer, Mary chooses to journey through a mystery with nothing but the faith that it was God's will, and that it would result in great joy throughout the ages.

I have been fascinated with the pulsating motions and sounds of Flamenco since visiting Santa Fe, NM several years ago.  Gypsy, a 20X16 oil painting, is my attempt to capture the energy of the visual explosion that is Flamenco. 

Annunciation is an acrylic on painting on a 30X24 Lauan panel.  The paint is applied in a translucent layer over a charcol sketch.  The image of the Rosary was pressed into a thick layer of wet gesso and removed.

Crown of Thorns depicts the agony of the passion through the crowning with thorns of Christ prior to the crucifixion.  Meant as both a mockery and a painful device, the painting tries to capture this through the sharp cutting strokes of the painting knife in thick red paint.  Blood and plasma appear to ooze from the thorns and run down the surface of the painting.

The Fisherman presents the viewer with a loosely sketched ghostly image of St. Peter shrouded in a fish net, a symbol of his ministry.  This painting does not try to show Peter in his role as the first Bishop of Rome with the symbols of the Papacy.  Rather, it shows St. Peter gazing at his flock from beyond the grave with a solemn expression, or perhaps one of sadness for the weakness of mankind.  This sadness is tinged with regret for his own betrayal of Christ that gives him a unique understanding of our nature.   

Four Horsemen depicts the images from the Book of Revelation that describes the end of the world as a metaphor of four horrible horsemen bringing conquest, war, famine and death.  The image is painted on a lauan panel covered with loose canvas that reminds us of a bleak urban wall.  The horsemen are represented by markings reminiscent of graffiti in white, red, black and a pale greenish yellow.

Who has heard the expression “faith to move mountains” as described in the Bible and not imagined a mountain on wheels with an Atlas archetype pushing it out of the way?  This painting depicts the complete destruction of the mountains with red hot rock blasting through the gentle green exterior of the foothills creating a twisted image of cool greens and hot reds.  Has man’s faith in technology brought this prediction to fruition with frightening results?

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