I call this a “self portrait of Jesus Christ”, because this was the very first painting I created (circa 1996) where I invited the Spirit of God to create it Himself through me.

I took time first in prayer to ask the Spirit of God to actually
create through me in order for the final result to truly
be a work inspired by God rather than one of my own
accord.

I had come to a point where two things that made me
“me” were about to intersect, my gift as a visual artist
and my faith. I wanted to submit my abilities as a visual
artist to the Spirit of God the same way a preacher subb
mits his oratory skills to the guiding power of God so
that his words became God’s words and that those
words would accomplish God’s task. Something that his
words alone could never accomplish.

I wanted my art to undergo the same transformation, an
illustration created under the guiding power of the Holy
Spirit in order for it to accomplish far more than my own
layout, composition, etc. could ever achieve under my
own limited abilities.

I had always wanted to create a portrait of Christ, but I
hesitated in doing so because I wanted it to be “just
right”. After spending time in the quiet of prayer, I began
working on this illustration and I’ve been pleased with
the outcome.

Sketch from "Gethsemane"

It’s a portrait of Christ in the garden of
Gethsemane in prayer to His Father before His arrest
and consequential crucifixion. It’s a portrait of Christ
where the length of His hair, color of His skin, etc. were
irrelevant. The focus goes beyond the physical attrii
butes and focuses on capturing the spiritual essence of
who Christ is.

Have you ever prayed before creating? Post a comment whether you have or haven’t”.