Author Archives: laurieetta

November 20

Peculiar Portraits

I got your attention with these paintings, didn’t I? This artist creates some of the more bizarre pieces of artwork I have seen. Go ahead and Google him to see what I mean. His name is Giuseppe Arcimboldo, a masterful and prolific Italian painter of the Renaissance period. Although he had a great number of […]

November 12

Blessed Solitude

Dear readers, I extend my heartfelt gratitude for your patience during these past months of adjustment to a new church calling, which regrettably led to a lapse in my regular postings. With God’s grace, I aim to be a more consistent blogger moving forward. The artwork in focus is a masterpiece by Willem Van Mieris […]

September 24

The Holy Marys

I was immediately drawn to this captivating depiction of the Marys, (Mary mother of James, Mary Magdalene, and Mary of Cleophas) peering with wonder into the tomb that once held their Master. Not only are the women beautifully portrayed but the way the artist has arranged the painting makes the viewer feel as if he […]

August 31

His Eye is on the Sparrow

I took a picture of this painting at the Minneapolis Institute of Art last May. It looks so real; you may think you could touch one of the rocks and it would move. Or you could feel its smoothness with your fingertips. Perhaps you believe you can dust some of the dirt off the soft […]

June 29

The Freedom of a Christian

Next week we celebrate our freedom and show our gratitude for those who fought both physically and intellectually to secure that freedom. Also this week we are not looking at some great work of art but a “zen doodle” I created a few years ago. For awhile I was into zen doodling. It’s a great […]

June 23

What is of Value and Why?

Mark Wagner is a collage artist. He had no idea what to expect when he first cut up a dollar bill 24 years ago. But he couldn’t stop making things out of money. His collages are assembled entirely from one-dollar bills—and can fetch tens of thousands of dollars. Above is his tribute to the Statue […]

June 15

Jesus and the Lamb

Listen to the words of Isaiah 40:11: He tends his flock like a shepherd:    He gathers the lambs in his armsand carries them close to his heart. This simple drawing by American artist Katherine Brown is a perfect illustration of a God who draws us in and carries us close. Notice the scar on the hand […]

May 31

The Ascension of Christ

In John 16, we read of Christ’s bodily return to his Father. He tells his disciples, “Now I am going to the one who sent me.” This is called The Ascension of Christ and has been a popular subject matter of the Old Master’s painters, such as Caravaggio, Vermeer, and Rembrandt, whom Salvador Dali, the […]

May 28

Disappointed Souls

Disappointment is a common experience. Even Jesus faced his fair share. In Luke 10, he sends his disciples to spread the message of the Kingdom of God but warns them to expect rejection. He reminds them of the towns who have disappointed him saying, “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the […]

May 24

An Allegory of Communion

The fruit in this painting is so real you may feel as if you can reach out and pluck a grape. It was painted by a Flemish artist named Alexander Coosemans and showcases an arrangement of still life symbols. Grapes symbolize Christ’s blood, while wheat stalks represent the bread that is his body. Two cornucopias […]