Fr. J. Loves it!

It's done! The composition is complete and we both welcomed the late addition to the drawing – Mary Magdalene! Now it's time for the photo shoot. I typically prefer painting my subjects with photo references to ensure the light and shadows are as realistic as possible... less guess work for me. Fr. J. has a few people in mind for the live models and we've got some great costumes to work with too. We're scheduled to shoot for January 23!

Close but not there yet.

In this sketch I've finally incorporated the background composing of God the Father who is welcoming and also offering his son to the world and on either side are the two archangels. Mary is now standing with traditional halo (twelves starts symbolizing the twelve tribes of Israel) and a few of the apostles have switched their positions since the last sketch.

If you've ever been to St. Clare you would be familiar with the statue of the cruxified Jesus – this will remain the center of the composition instead of a painted Jesus.

It's getting very close but Fr. J and I decided to keep finessing it. As for the Trinity, The Holy Spirit (the dove) will be repositioned to fly between God the Father and Jesus. And I think God is looking too Santa Clause-ish... we wouldn't want to confuse the children would we?

Stay tuned!

The First

And here's James, brother of John. I call him the first because he was the first be martyred for his faith. The intention is to make him the only one to reach out his hand as Jesus is being lifted to the Father... after all he was the first out of the eleven to join him in Heaven.

Humbled

In Jesus' time you either feared Herod & the Romans or you feared the tax collectors. One would take the shirt off your back so the other could strip the flesh off as well. Matthew (standing) was a tax collector in his previous life. He was probably paid very well and protected and for this he was despised by his fellow Jews. Even after he joined Jesus' circle, he was considered an outcast and a sinner by the Pharisees who criticized Jesus... “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17)

And then there's Simon the Zealot (kneeling). Not much evidence on Simon but the legend describes him as a member of the Zealots which at the time were a political sect set on taking down the Romans by force or even terrorism. They too were considered outcasts for their aggression.

So, for both these two apostles I will paint them in an expression of humility – on their knees and heads bowed in thankfulness.

Inseperable

From what I know, Philip and Nathanael or Bartholomew were always a pair. Philip was known for his part in the event of the five loaves and two fish. I'll paint a basket of loaves and fish by his feet. And Nathanael was this happy-go-lucky character ready to stir things up for the cause. I'll make him the only one in the group to wear a smile. It's also believed these two friends were martyred together.

The Believer

Here's the new believer (formerly doubting Thomas). When I paint him, he'll be looking at the viewers while everyone is fixed on the event at hand. In his mind, he's wondering how many doubters are among us.

Bringer of Men

It was written that Andrew brought Jesus to the first apostles. He knew who to bring before Jesus and he knew where to find them. I call him the Bringer of Men. And for this, even after three years by they're master's side and while they witness the ascension, Andrew is still the bringer of men – lifting two apostles to bare witness. There isn't very much known about these other two apostles. They most likely had their own roles no doubt. On the left is Jude and to the right is James the Lesser (lower rank than James brother to John). They're more fearful than anything which suggests they could have been the youngest of the group.

Peter, Mary and John

Here's a detail. The plan is to make Mary standing between Peter and John – two contrasting personalities. There's Peter who is all nerves and then John the quiet and graceful apostle. Peter already has his next question on the tip of his tongue... he means well but his own impatience is a distraction to himself. (Remember, this is just my opinion) Mary is comforting the both of them and reassuring them that her son's plan is for the good of all and that there's no need to fear the future. "Fisher's of men are what you have become!" could she have said something to that effect? And, John looks to Mary like a son does to his mother.

The Pillar

Another sketch, but not there yet. I always envisioned Mary at the center of the group between Peter and John. I felt they both may have been looking to Mary with sympathetic expressions. After all, she was losing Jesus once again. But wait a minute, she knew this was coming... it should be her looking to the apostles with comforting gestures. It's the apostles who must have been in awe at first, and then confused and fearful... like "now what do we do??" I like the way Fr. J. put it... they were of course in awe but they were also accepting and maybe even rejoicing to finally see Jesus up to Heaven like he always promised them.

Instead of sitting, Mary will be standing to make her the focal point in this story... 'the pillar' at the center of they're continuing faith added Fr. J. – makes sense to me.

A finished portrait

Here's a digital painting of Simon Peter.

I thought it only fitting to include the building plans to the first church – laid in gold mosaic tiles. And what's a fisherman without his net? This was good practice but I think I may even portray the characters to appear even younger for the mural.

More sketching

This is getting closer to where both Fr. John and envision it. It's all about balance and where we're trying to lead the eye. Can you see the smaller stories happening? I'll try and explain more once reveal the next few drawings. The doodle on the yellow sticky note is closer to what we're thinking.

Telling the Story

I'm familiar with the way the ascension is told in the Bible; who was there and when and where it took place. It was an upper room of a house that belonged to one of the apostles where they most likely took to hiding after the crucifixion. The apostles were called to their great commission to spread the gospel and build the first church across all the empires and then there was wind and bright light as Jesus rose up to the heavens as two angels stood by welcoming him home to the Father. Then flames from the Holy Spirit descended upon them and they began to speak in different tongues. Truly the Trinity must have been a supernatural spectacle – never one like it to happen again. That is a fact. But I believe there was more going on while this was happening. We have the eleven apostles, the Holy Mother and Mary of Magdalene. Each has they're own little story to tell. How did they take to the event? Were they in shock? Did they cry out to Jesus to stay? Did they rejoice? Or hide from the light and wind? Try to picture these young men and a mother who's about to lose her son for a second time. They were human with real thoughts and fears. If the project has a story to tell it would be this one.

So, as I begin to put ideas together for the composition I'm cognizant of human behavior and the stories worth telling. Who better to look to than Norman Rockwell – America's most celebrated illustrator (and my favorite!). For more than 4 decades Rockwell painted the covers of the Saturday Evening Post capturing the everyday scenarios of American life. His work told stories of innocence, hardship, sacrifice, unity and pride. When I look at one of his paintings I find myself reading the expressions of his faces and placement of his figures like they were words in a book. Rockwell had a lot to say and he did it with not a single word – amazing!

Just Draw II

More progress. I think I may even go younger.

A portrait

I've been drawing so many likenesses of Peter that I thought I'd create a smaller side project and do a portrait study. It's interesting that the more I draw and research these apostles the more I see 'us' in them. Strangely as it was, Jesus considered him the weakest and fearful of the bunch. Rather than follow with grace he was impatient and ready with one question after the other. He owned his own fishing vessels and laborers and most likely was used to having it his way on his own terms with his own rules. He lived by the feeling of his gut, the smell of the sea and the let's not forget he lived like everyone else under Roman law. Did his gut tell him to leave everything to follow Jesus? How did someone like Peter take such a risk? It takes strength of heart and an open mind to do something so opposite to this man. There you have it, two contrasting personalities – courage and fear. Don't we all have a little bit of Peter in us?

Just Draw!

All I did for the last little while was draw faces for the characters in the story. This is how I picture them from what I've read and the clues I've found. I think their beards were worn longer but for the sake of connecting with today's modern audience I've gave a trim.

My Vision

This never happens... I never dream of my artwork. Visions don't come to me. I just sketch things out until something makes sense. A few days before my weekly meeting with Fr. John I had this dream of walking through this low lit room and on the wall was this massive painting – I was just the viewer standing in awe. The dream was probably not even a minute long because this is all I remember. The first thing I did when I awoke was draw what I had seen in my dream and here's what it looked like. I'm still shaking my head because this has never happened before. Well, I told Fr. John and showed him the sketch – we both loved it.

Chiaroscuro

I met with Fr. John (pastor of St. Clare of Assisi) for the first meeting of the project and we discussed at length several directions with many references to his appreciation for the Venetian masters. On many occasions he would leaf through his big books of art and express to me his great admiration and understanding of Venetian Renaissance art. The pages always seemed to stop turning when we got to Tiziano or Titian – obviously a favorite for Fr. J.

It wasn't long until I too eventually fell in love with works like the one above – "The Assumption and Consecration of the Virgin". Chiaroscuro was the method used to paint or draw during the Renaissance period – meaning light and dark. Artists would skillfully and strategically define the volume of their subjects by using tonal contrasts of color. The result was dramatic and 3 dimensional. This was clearly the effect we were both after.

Harry Anderson III - The Ascension of Christ

Finally, The Ascension. Look at the apostles... they're expressions are priceless!
I can't keep from wondering who's-who. I've always been intrigued by who they really were and what they're personalities may have been like. There are some hints of these personalities from what was written in the Bible.

For this I've called this project "Apostle Project".

Harry Anderson

For the first couple weeks upon proposing an idea, I set out to find inspiration. I looked at a number of works... and focused on American Illustrator Harry Anderson the most. This is purely because I remember seeing his depictions of Christ and stories from the bible as a kid. Most of his work was commissioned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As a Roman Catholic, I believe his work stands out as the most prolific Christian painter, illustrator and story teller of his time. He spent 35 years painting the stories and characters from the bible so that they may relate to our times. Looking at his work one would think his depictions happened in the backdrop of modern day America. His compositions draw you in with his balance of light and dark and placement of figures... almost as if he was present to paint it as it happened.

Harry Anderson II

"The Consultation" - "Divine Counselor"

Apostle Project

One would say if you want to appreciate an old church for it's exquisite art and architecture that you should go to Europe. This is true. Another truth is the Church of St. Clare of Assisi in Woodbridge Ontario. I think it comes pretty close with it's delicate contemporary execution from it's mosaic floors to the magnificent ceiling woodwork. Even Pope John II paid a visit during his last trip to Canada.

My family and I have been members of it's great parish community for 15 years. As a fine artist, I've have painted a few small projects for the church. In August of 2011, Father John Borean (pastor) offered to give me the opportunity of a lifetime – to paint a giant 60x25 foot mural of the Ascention of Christ behind it's great altar. I was honestly (and still am) humbled to say the least.

Since then, I have been working diligently with my friend Fr. john who is equally committed to every detail to making this the greatest project in the history of this church. So, I invite you to visit as often as you can. This site's purpose is to bring you as close as possible to the planning, the conceptual stages and ultimately the final execution and launch to the community.