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

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

THE GLORY OF THE MASS : A WORK IN PROGRESS FOR A RECENTLY ORDAINED FRIEND, A FITTING SUBJECT FOR THE YEAR OF THE PRIEST


This is a pretty ambitious project that I am working on for a friend who was recently ordained. He commissioned it some time ago and I confess that I had been avoiding it because I knew it was going to be difficult to do well. This album is a thank you to him for his patience, and to let him know that he doesn't have to despair of this project getting underway.

The image is meant to be an exposition of the experience of the Priest and the very great responsibility that is his to minister to all of God's Children, facilitating their lives in Christ through the Ancient Tradition and Faith of the Church. The Priest does this especially by first cultivating a profound friendship with Christ, especially through personal prayer and frequenting of the Scriptures. He learns from the great saints who have gone before us in faith, many of whom he has developed a special veneration for. They are literally his heroes, and the example and experience of their faith informs his own. He speaks to them and asks for their prayers, as he reads their writings and the stories of their lives. He communicates the insights he gains from his own prayer, the Gospels, and the tradition of the Church to the People of God.

The Saints have been especially important to my recently ordained friend, and they have enriched his life greatly. He has also obviously been enriched by his varied experiences of ministry to many different groups and individuals during the course of his formation. He wanted the image to include an image of a Priest offering Mass to a congregation made up of several different types of persons, many of whom he reverences (such as law enforcement or firemen) or has learned from in a special way during the course of his formation in the Priesthood. In the upper portion of the drawing is a small "who's who" of saints, many specifically requested by my friend, who has learned from each of these great men and women of the Church.

The Communion of Saints is complete! I will have more updates soon.

1 comment:

  1. Love your blog.. I have bookmarked it so that I can come back & read more..

    ReplyDelete

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