Mary Garden Showers Painting

Recently I completed a new painting of Mary and Jesus for Mary Garden Showers.  It is a beautiful ministry which helps mothers in crisis pregnancies.  There are prints available on my site here all proceeds go to Mary Garden Showers.  The framed original painting will be auctioned off at my booth during the Columbus Catholic Women's Conference this February.

I wanted to show Mary and Jesus in an affectionate moment, mother and baby playing together quietly.  Jesus is meant to look like He is crowning her with flowers, representing what will come when they are both in heaven.  But mostly I hoped to show Mary as a human mother in love with her child, awed by His beauty and innocence.

Dominican Saints St. Vincent Catholic Art Show

I was thrilled to have a piece in the St. Vincent Catholic Art Show this year.  And even more thrilled to win second place!  I am so grateful to Ann Holmes the gallery director and all those who helped to put on the show, it was a beautiful exhibition.  The show will be up until Dec. 4th located in Latrobe PA.  The painting is still for sale and over half the proceeds will go to the Dominican Province of St. Joseph, interested buyers please contact: jubilee@opeast.org

Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman

I am grateful to have been commissioned to paint Cardinal Newman for our parish library.

St. Therese, St. Catherine, St. Teresa

This series of paintings shows the Doctors of the Church who are women.  Recently I read that St. Hildegard of Bingen has also been given the title, so the series is incomplete.  I tried to capture these beautifully holy saints at the age they would have completed their most influential work.  The books they are holding represent sacred scripture, the flowers each have symbolic meaning in Christianity.  Roses are Christ, columbine: the Holy Spirit, oranges: purity, lilies: Mary, dogwood: Christ, daffodils: resurrection. 

Definition of Doctor of the Church taken from Catholic Online "This is a very special title accorded by the Church to certain saints. This title indicates that the writings and preachings of such a person are useful to Christians "in any age of the Church." Such men and women are also particularly known for the depth of understanding and the orthodoxy of their theological teachings. While the writings of the Doctors are often considered inspired by the Holy Spirit; this does not mean they are infallible, but it does mean that they contributed significantly to the formulation of Christian teaching in at least one area."
Each is 9 x11" and painted in gouache on paper.

St. Therese of Lisieux: France1873-1897

Carmelite nun

St. Catherine of Siena: Italy 1347-1380

Third order Dominican 

St. Teresa of Avila: Spain 1515-1582

Carmelite nun

Dominican Order of Preachers 800th Jubilee Illustration

This November is the beginning of the 800th Jubilee year for the Dominican Order.  The Dominicans are a religious order in the Catholic Church of friars, nuns, sisters and laity founded in 1216 by St. Dominic.  After 800 years the Order is still flourishing, drawing many to its ranks, and sustaining the Church through informed and inspired preaching.  Having been a parishoner at a Dominican church my entire life, I was thrilled and honored when the Province of St. Joseph commissioned this piece.  The Province created a website for the Jubilee with info about the events, the Dominicans, and also featuring a page for the painting.  

My intent was to show the span of the order by including figures from every century, different countries, nobility and poverty and also to give a face in art to some of the more obscure Dominican blesseds and saints.  You can find the key identifying each figure in the painting here along with their biographies and feast days.

Sacred Heart Painting

On June 12th, Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a liturgy was celebrated to re-consecrate the Diocese of Columbus to the Sacred Heart.  Bishop Campbell said mass at the St. Joseph's Cathedral in downtown Columbus.  It was a beautiful mass, and I was extremely honored to have been asked to complete a new painting for the occasion.  Prints for home enthronement are available through Sacred Heart Columbus

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Columbus Catholic Women's Conference

This post is long overdue, but in February I was happy to have created the promo piece for the 2015 Columbus Catholic Women's Conference.  The theme of this year is "at the foot of the cross."  The design was also used for this years T-shirt.  My first conference was very successful and immensly enjoyable, I hope to be back next year.