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“The Healing Christ,” by kathy rice grimm, was painted based upon the miracle, Jesus healing Jairus’ daughter. This story is found in all four Gospels. |
Many years ago I painted a piece for The
Catholic Health Association.
(above) The painting is very blue, just as it appears in the photograph. On the day I photographed it, it was snowing outside. You can see the snowflakes in the photograph if you look hard enough. I'm not quite sure why this is, but I am always asked to paint with a selection of brilliant blues whenever I receive a commission from a church. Thus far, this is the only time I have ever completed a work based upon this particular topic. I do have, buried behind stacks of paintings in my basement, an older painting about the healing of the crippled man who was lowered through the roof to Jesus, but I have yet to finish it. I made the mistake of showing it to someone who thought the portrayal of extreme pain on Christ's face during the healing was inappropriate. I decided to look at again later to determine whether or not to finish it.
The "Healing Christ" above was completed within two weeks. I literally did not sleep for days in order to meet the deadline for the commission. The gowns in the painting took more time to complete than the faces. I believe, however, the faces are the most important element in any painting. There is a undeniably deep, emotional connection that people have to human faces. Even if an artwork is painted in a style that a viewer does not normally make positive connections to, a descernible human face within that artwork will draw some sort of reaction from him or her. This is why I spend much of my time selecting human expressions for those who I am asked to portray.
