TRUTH | Baroque

 

Baroque

Oil on Canvas

40 x 60”

 

For years, I attended church without truly knowing God. I walked away in the face of doubts about my worth and struggled with belief in the unseen. In 2013, I was living a life of indulgence—bartending, partying, dating, and traveling. Yet, no matter how much fun I had, something always felt missing. It was during this aimless wandering when I experienced a Divine Appointment.

While studying a 16th-century painting technique (as seen in this portrait) in France, I encountered Buddhism and found comfort in the idea that pain and suffering were within my control. It seemed easier than grappling with the mystery of Jesus being God—or even needing Him at all.

When I returned to Chicago, the image I had created as a child suddenly pressed upon my heart to paint. I resisted, unsure of what it would mean to return to this faith and face the confusion I’d left behind. But something deep inside urged me to surrender. As I began to paint, I was drawn into the powerful emotional depth and intensity often seen in Baroque art—where light and shadow work in harmony to reveal spiritual truth. Over the next 10 months, God spoke to me through the process, revealing His unwavering patience with me, despite my doubts, mistakes, and previous pursuit of Buddhism. This painting, like those of the Baroque period, became a window to divine revelation and transformation, both personal and spiritual.

“Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the glorious riches of His inheritance among the saints." Ephesians 1:18