6 in. x 6 in., acrylic on gallery-wrapped canvas
If I were an old Maine ahtist, I'd prob'ly tell ya that it's no use in askin' 'bout the deep meanin' of this piece o' ahtwork. Seems ta me that all you need ta know is right thayah in the title. 'Cause I was thayah. An' let me tell ya... it was wintah. An' it were damn cold.
We Have Seen
16 in. x 20 in., acrylic and metallic paint on traditional-depth canvas
This supernaturalist piece is based on the opening passage of the epistle of 1 John 1:1-3,* which uses the Greek word ἑωράκαμεν three times: we have seen. Pronounced "heōrakamen," you can see this word in the Greek lettering in the painting. I painted this piece on a black canvas, but the bronze and copper wash over the lettering creates a coppery shine that lights up the black. I used a style reminiscent of iconography, with the aim of illuminating the the repeated insistence that John and the other disciples of Jesus had actually seen Jesus the Christ after His resurrection, had actually touched and handled Him and that the gospel they poured their lives out for wasn't second-hand information or hearsay or a metaphorical concept or an esoteric spiritual-sounding idea. The plain acrylic paints keep the outstretched arm of Christ organic and physical on the material plane, while the metallic paints pin the pierced flesh squarely within the human gaze that becomes the shining nimbus surrounding it. I hope you like this sacred art piece.
*"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen (ἑωράκαμεν) with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life-- the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, (ἑωράκαμεν) and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us-- that which we have seen (ἑωράκαμεν) and heard, we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His son Jesus Christ." -1 John 1-3
