When drawing or sculpting I work to depict forms so that they project a movement or fullness and have a contained energy. This kinetic impression is a foundation for the gestural attitudes I sought to convey in the portraits of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
I visualized the energy within the Gospels like the growth of a tree which reaches toward the light above and water below, resulting in the growth of new shoots along the path toward purpose.
These portrait images are about this transmission of energy in its human manifestation. Whether considered historically or otherwise, the words and concepts, symbolized by the Four Evangelists, represent a message which forms out of unmistakable motivation within a specific framework.
Regardless of whether the Gospels inherited by us today are the efforts of an inspired individual or group, there is a clear human touch to the energy that they generate. A subtle but pervading tension in homoousion that draws the seasons shoots and buds toward the light.
There is no frame around the images of the Evangelists. There is no border, no partition between the viewer and the conception of the Church. Time is a construct which slides off the energy of the Gospels. This energy is observed outwardly projected onto the Church and is the same energy that is sensed within the individual. The separation between the two is an illusion; the connection to the Evangelists is present and immediate.
The light passes through sections of handblown, opal glass, which has the portrait images imprinted in ceramic ink on its inside surface. These opal glass sections are fixed to tempered sheets of float glass which have a silver stain lightly air brushed across its surface.
The light is modulated and tinted by the glass to fill the space with an ambient energy.
The Greek calligraphy above each portrait is modeled after the characters in a perennial terminal of transmission, the Codex Sinaiticus. Experienced calligraphers in Greek may find fault in nuance and style. Nevertheless, I worked to understand the point of contact of the pen, the direction of the stroke, and the subtle flare at its terminus. There is an element of character and portraiture of the scribe which is preserved in the Sinaiticus that I made a sincere effort to honor.
Matthew is depicted in the glass panel at the southeast set of windows. The text above him reads: 25.31…then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him,…
Mark is depicted directly to the viewers right side of Matthew. Above Mark the text reads: 8.29 …”But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.”
On the west wall of the chapel, the panel in the south windows depicts Luke. The text above him reads: 24.2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
To the right of Luke, in the north set of windows is a depiction of John. Above him reads: 17.3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
This life sized bronze statue of John Baptist de La Salle stands in front of a large arch monument to de La Salle at Lewis University, in Romeoville, IL.
Life sized (5'0"), bronze sculpture depicting Saint Teresa of Calcutta. This bronze sculpture is installed on the Winona campus of St. Mary's University of Minnesota. The site, along a creek and under a canopy of trees, is stunning and provides for a communion with nature as well as with the Saint.
"The Brother" at Lewis University invites you to sit down. For this project I wanted to create an interactive, representational figure that embodied an abstract design element, which avoided static form. The goal is to entice the viewer to feel compelled to interact with the sculpture and setting as a whole.
Brother James Alfred Miller, FSC, was killed in Huehuetenango, Guatemala in 1982. This bust was commissioned by St. Mary's University of Minnesota to commemorate Br. Miller’s life and work. Br. Miller was a St. Mary’s alumna who later traveled to Central America to work with the indigenous Mayan community. The Lasallian Christian Brotherhood is an order of Christian teachers that dedicate themselves to providing a sound education to children around the globe. Etched into the stone benches are Br. Miller’s birthdate in roman numerals and the date of his death in Mayan glyphs.
Two 66-inch tall oil portraits depicting Jean-Baptiste de La Salle and Mary of Nazareth are mounted on freestanding maple grids that bookend the sanctuary. Hanging above the altar is a 5-foot tall bronze crucifix. Representationally, Mary sits under dappled light in a garden. As you approach the painting her environment becomes abstracted. I designed this image as a tool for meditation. The viewer is drawn in to present focus through representation and then released into present awareness through abstraction. This oil portrait of John the Baptist de La Salle is designed around narrative. He sits in his study meditating on the rosary when students entering interrupt him. This image of Jesus is a transcendent image that moves away from an overtly suffering Jesus toward a moment of balance between the singular consciousness of the human nous, to the collective consciousness in everything. Jesus' body has subtle gesture that creates a slight forward movement but his eyes are closed to show his consciousness moving inward thru the portal of the heart's eye. Left in Latin is sinestra and it is feminine. His feminine hand is opening out toward his mother, Mary, depicted in the portrait on that side. The right hand represents consciousness. Jesus' right hand embraces consciousness through corporeal death.
Oil on canvas
30" x 24"
The gestures of the Seraphim Angels are designed to create a sense of rotation around the altar. They reach toward the cross with one hand and the congregation with the other; symbolically connecting the two.
Standing Woman Statuette.
Height of 12”.
Bronze on wood base.
Currently on display at Frameworks Gallery in Highland Park, St. Paul.
