ABOUT THE ARTIST

My photo
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 14, 2012

MY 5TH PORTRAIT OF FATHER THOMAS FREDERICK PRICE, THE TARHEEL APOSTLE

This portrait of Father Thomas Frederick Price, "The Tarheel Apostle," is my 5th portrait of this servant of God. The photo I rendered this from was shared with me by Father Michael Walsh, MM, who is involved in efforts to have him recognized as a Saint in the Catholic Church. The photo was the last known photo taken of Father Price, and was for a travel document he needed during his missionary work in China.

Father Price's cause for Beatification and Canonization is now underway in its "Diocesan" stage here in the Diocese of Raleigh. North Carolina is where Father Price grew up, was ordained, and where he spent the first stages of his remarkable priestly life. If Father Price's achievements were limited to his time in his home state, they would be sufficient to mark him as a Priest of singular, heroic virtue. He was a dynamo of charitable and apostolic work, and deeply loved the people of North Carolina, Catholic and non-Catholics alike. It was his love for his home and her people that so charmed the men and women of the Old North State. I believe that his work here, especially his evangelical spirit and his charity, should be more widely known by the people of our Diocese, and I hope that his cause will achieve this if nothing else. His life still inspires and speaks to the missionary nature of the Church in North Carolina. Indeed, I believe that his labors here testify to his Sainthood, just as his later achievements would on a global scale.

Here is a Saintly Priest worth knowing and befriending. I hope that you will consider ordering his biography, "The Tarheel Apostle" which is available in reprint from Amazon. If you are from the State of North Carolina, or if you have spent any time here, you will be charmed by the familiar places and history recounted in its pages. You will especially be charmed by the simplicity of this man, who had little regard for his clothes, his appearance, or the limitations that keep most people from achieving great things. He loved all, especially those who misunderstood and persecuted him, and he patiently, persistently, and irresistibly convinced them of his goodness, and also of the love he carried for the people of North Carolina. My prayer is that all of us will come to know him better as his cause proceeds here in our local Church.

1 comment:

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