Merry Christmas

~callig by Reb

watercoloring by Erin

Collaborative project.  Credit to Reb Kim for the calligraphy...I did the watercolor.  This was a gift to our friend and mutual coworker as she expects her first child, a daughter, this month!  It is joyful amidst work in a nursing facility to celebrate life at both ends of the spectrum!

This was a commissioned "family" portrait...I accessorized each kiddo with relevant sports equipment.  Reminds me of Make Way for Ducklings. Safe Crossing!

Commissioned front door...made into notecards. The brickwork, arched doorway, and wood panelling all add to the enchantment of this doorway.

Commissioned house portrait. Ink, watercolor.

Last but not least...a sketch/watercolor painting I'd made from a photograph ~4 years ago, based on a photograph of my Nana and her younger brother out fishing.  The photo was black and white, so I got to choose the colors!  I have many fond memories (and more to come, I hope!) of visiting family on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi.

ArtWorks of Mercy

“We need constantly to contemplate the mystery of mercy.” – Pope Francis

The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, December 8, 2015, marked the beginning of the Jubilee Year of Mercy. Mercy is, in Pope Francis's words, “the beating heart of the Gospel.”  This year provides us the opportunity to pay attention to God’s mercy, to live out spiritual and corporal works of mercy, and to recognize the need for mercy in our own lives.  

The year of Mercy will culminate on the Solemnity of Christ the King on November 20, 2016. As Pope Francis reminds us, “the mercy of God is never something abstract, but rather, something concrete.”  Here is my attempt to make concrete what can be abstract.  My hope is that, in viewing these images, you might find a moment to realize God’s great mercy for you. 

 

Baptism

             watercolor, 18x24’’

            “But when the kindness and generous love of God our Savior appeared, not because of any righteous deeds we had done but because of his mercy, he saved us through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the holy Spirit, whom he richly poured out on us through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life.”

Titus 3:4

           The Beatitudes

watercolor, 18x24’’

If the Ten Commandments are law, then the Beatitudes are love.  In a real sense, the Beatitudes build upon the Ten Commandments.  Far from love contradicting law, love is in fact the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:10). Tendrils spread and flourish when they are allowed to grip into a foundation.  From the outline of two stone tablets sprout eight morning glories. 

 “His mercies never come to an end…they are new every morning” 

- Lamentations 2:22-23

Corporal Works of Mercy

watercolor, 18x24’’

Mercy:  Through our unique hands, dispersed in 

a thousand unpredictable ways.

Justice & Mercy

watercolor, 18x24’’

Justice and mercy…are not two contradictory realities, but two dimensions of a single reality that unfolds progressively until it culminates in the fullness of love.  Justice is a fundamental concept for civil society, which is meant to be governed by the rule of law.  Justice is also understood as that which is rightly due to each individual… [Yet,] if God limited himself to only justice, he would cease to be God, and would instead be like human beings who ask merely that the law be respected.  God does not deny justice. He rather envelops it and surpasses it with an even greater event in which we experience love as the foundation of true justice.

Misericordiae Vultus, Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy

Mother of Mercy
watercolor, 18x24’’

         The Hebrew word for mercy, rahamim, comes from rechem,

         a mother’s womb. Rahamim refers to the feeling of a mother

         for the child in her womb.  God’s mercy must have something

         of a maternal warmth about it—unconditional, intimate and

         nurturing.  A pregnant Mary knows she cannot hold Mercy

         inside forever.

            

          What the Prodigal Son saw the Morning He Decided to Return Home

            watercolor, 18x24’’

Flush  

Colored pencil, ink, and watercolor 18x24’’

In 2010, Asia Bibi, mother of five, became the first Pakistani woman condemned to death for blasphemy following an incident drawing water from a well used by Muslims.  Her death sentence continues to be suspended as of 2016.  According to the International Society for Human Rights, 80% of violations of religious freedom in the world today are directed against Christians, many of whom live amidst hostile majorities (John Allen, Global War on Christians). 

The woman in this portrait, worlds away from Asia Bibi, nonetheless faintly bears the Nazarene symbol on her neck.  “Nasrani” (Nazarene) is the symbol ISIS has used to mark Christian homes and businesses, which others have adopted as a sign of solidarity. 

Flushing is an automatic response of the sympathetic nervous system.  When the body experiences exertion, it radiates heat outward.  Flushing is a sudden increase or expansion.  It is a sign of love.

Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body. – Hebrews 13:3

...
These have been my primary projects this past year!  I have never done an artwork series that has spanned so much time focused on one theme.  Luckily, the theme of mercy proved pretty expansive!  I've enjoyed collaborating with other local artists for a display at our local Cathedral.  If you missed it, check out St. Mary's ArtWorks of Mercy exhibit in October!  I will display some of these there, along with many other artists and students from the St. Mary's community.

Art is for sale, with a recommended donation of $200 to Catholic Relief Services.  If you purchase the piece through the St. Mary's event, 50% of proceeds will be given to "Art for the Journey," a local non-profit supporting art in the community.