ABOUT THE ARTIST

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Mebane, NC, United States
My wife Emily and I currently live in Mebane, NC with our son Evan. I am actively accepting commissions at this time. You may request work by contacting me at artisservant@gmail.com. I currently charge $200 for 11x14 drawings and $150 for 8x10s. I sell prints of my work for $25 for 11x14 and $15 for 8x10. I hope that you will enjoy the works here displayed, and that you will contact me with your comments at artisservant@gmail.com - January 5th, 2015

Monday, February 18, 2008

Work in Progress: The Pelican, Symbol of Christ


I am very honored to be working to complete the image you see above for another Priestly Ordination. I am very happy to have been contacted and commissioned by so many men studying for the Priesthood. I feel that this is an opportunity for my work to be a true Apostolate, and am overjoyed to have the chance to compose purely religious imagery for such holy occasions. If you have friends who are approaching ordination, please encourage them to visit my site and to see if they would like to have original work done for this solemn day in their life and the life of the Church.

If you are unfamiliar with the image, it is especially dear to the Deacon who commissioned the work, and it will appear on his chasuble at his first Mass of Thanksgiving. It is a traditional image meant to symbolize Christ which dates back to the Middle Ages. It is taken from an erroneous belief that Pelican mothers nursing their young, when stranded in the wilderness, would pierce their own breasts to feed the chicks with their own blood. An explanation of the iconography taken from the Catholic Encyclopedia follows below:


The Pelican is a symbol of the atonement and the Redeemer. It was supposed to wound itself in order to feed its young with its blood and to bring to life those who were dead -- the "pelicane who stricketh blood out of its owne bodye to do others good" (Lyly, Euphues). Allusion is made to this belief in "Hamlet" (act iv): --
To his good friend thus wide I'll ope my arms And, like the kind, life-rendering pelican, Repast them with my blood.Therefore it was deemed a fitting symbol of the Saviour, the nostro pelicano of Dante, Who shed His blood in order to give eternal life to the children of men. Skelton in his "Armorie of Birds" says: --
Then sayd the Pellycan: When my Byrdts be slayne With my bloude I them revyve. Scripture doth record The same dyd our Lord And rose from deth to lyve.

6 comments:

  1. Wow; powerful! Christ works through you!

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  2. Yes. I do believe this is your apostolate.

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  3. Hi David -

    I hope you don't mind - I had written a blog entry, mentioning your site and submitted that entry to the Catholic Carnival. Thought it would be great to spread far and wide the wonderful work you're doing. I don't believe we've ever met, but I know both your parents as I've associated with them back in the days I was working as a research chemist at RTI and NCCU. I hope they, as well as you, are doing well.

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  4. I REALLY FOUND THIS POST INTERESTING.

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  5. I am glad to hear it Yana - It is a beautiful image, even though it is not really to be found in nature.

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  6. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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WELCOME!

I appreciate your time and your interest in my work. If you are interested in knowing more about me and my philosophy of art, please feel free to scroll to the bottom of this page. I would rather spare those who have no interest in such things from having to read about me before looking at my work. God bless you :)

The Vocation of the Artist

I firmly believe that art is meant to serve others, especially in lifting the hearts of people, through "ephiphanies of beauty," (John Paul II's letter to artists) to the contemplation and the glory of God. The artist participates in a unique way in the inspiration of the Creator of all things, and knows something of His joy in the act of creation, for "the act of creation is an act of love."(The Agony and the Ecstacy) This act is essentially bound up with the mystery of the Incarnation of Jesus, in which what had been invisible was made visible in His person, His life and work, and finally in His death and resurrection. The artist is exhorted by the very perception of his gift to its service. Art is not merely, nor should it ever be, a vehicle for selfish ends or cheap shock and awe, but it must seek to give joy to the lives of others. The artist is then in the end merely a servant of truth, beauty, and goodness, and his work must serve to convey these to a wider audience. "Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 15-16)I believe that the artist finds in the lives of Jesus, and of His foster father Joseph, essential role models, especially in their hidden life at Nazareth. Though very little is handed down to us in the Gospels or in tradition illuminating this period in Jesus' life, I believe that this hidden, simple, carpenter's life of "working quietly" (2 Thessalonians 3:11) can be a model for all artists, in which delight is daily sought in the manifestation of beauty in wood, paint, charcoal, dance, the stage, and music. This is a life of humility, where the artist freely accepts that this world, including his own work, "will pass away," (Matt. 24:35) but what it points to never will. Obedience to inspiration, especially as it is inspired by God's Word (itself the revelatory self-expression of God) is the artist's highest calling. This new site is dedicated to this higher calling of the artist, to this challenge.

You will find included in this site examples of my own work, as well as links to other sites which
celebrate the arts, and especially challenge the artist to reach the fullness of his own abilities
in the service of something greater than him or his work. I hope that you will enjoy this site, and
take full advantage of its links, especially the Letter to Artists of our Holy Father (of beloved memory) John Paul II. Thank you for your comments and your consideration of this website.

David Myers