The Baptism of Christ

Here is a picture of a painting I recently completed of the Baptism of Christ. It is, obviously, based on the traditional iconographic composition of the subject, but it is not an icon. It is a 46" x 48" oil on canvas (traditional icons are always done in egg tempera). The unusual looking object coming down from the top of the painting is found in all iconographic representations of this image, and what it signifies is the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Our Lord at His baptism. (There is a small bird in bolt that may or may not be visible on the digital image.)

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J.I. Packer's Remarks Regarding Anglo-Catholicism

Note: I have decided to delete this post since the link to the article is no longer working and since it has been revealed that J.I. Packer did not write it. JGA+

Some Observations About Light in Landscape Painting

As I slowly begin returning to painting landscapes the question of light arises. For most of my artistic career I have not been that interested in light in paintings, though I enjoy it in the works of other artists. However in landscape painting light is very important, so lately I've been examining the use of light by various landscapes painters, all of whom would be called "realists." What I found in closely studying their paintings is that they are not strict and mathematical, if you will, about where the light hits. In fact in many realist paintings – those of Andrew Wyeth come to mind – the light is very natural looking at a glance, but then upon closer examination is highly invented. I find nothing wrong with artists taking this liberty. The key to light in landscape painting seems to be to make an effort to simply include it in the work, and not obsess over where everything lines up and how it strikes each object in a uniform way... almost like a Bob Ross paintin

A Tale of Two Cathedrals

My wife and I just returned from vacation. While away, we got to visit the Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore, which had recently undergone a huge renovation. The last time I was there was to see the famous "Timla Relic" a few years ago. Unlike some horrific church renovations that have gone on in recent years that were supposedly meant to "update" the church, this restoration was meant to "return" the interior of the building to its original Federal-period design. And I must say that it a very tasteful renovation. They did a really good job. It looks almost like an old early Episcopal church - white washed interior, minimal designs, etc. The interior is now very bright because they removed the stained glass (dark blue Willet windows), and uncovered the original skylights in the dome. They kept all of the good stuff (the high altar, altar rails, etc.), and brought some cool old stuff back (e.g. the nation's first RC epi

J. Gordon Anderson - Contemporary Art

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