Video of Saint I Know from 2023
The Saints I Know
If you want to research saints, there are many good sources including wikipedia. The following short writeups are my versions based on what I have heard, read and thought about. Saints are people, whether actually historical people or invented by people who needed them. I apparently need saints in my life also, and these sculptures are my homage to them.
The sculptures and paintings are for sale. To purchase, email which piece you are interested in by clicking here. These pieces are fragile. Shipping will cost extra and depends on the destination.
Sculptures $450 (+$50 for the candle and candle holder)
Paintings $2,800 each
Instagram Saints by Alphabetical Order
Our Lady of Ghisallo: Patron Saint of Cyclists (Judean 18 BCE-41) A priest in Ghisallo established this shrine for bicyclists in Lombardy, Italy. Broken bicycles, bicycle parts and damaged frames now decorate it. I thought that Lombardy pines, a bicyclist and manga hair seemed appropriate.
SOLD: St. Adelaide of Burgundy: Patron Saint of Loyalty, Strength and Justice (Italian 931-999) St. Adelaide was a strong women in a turbulent time as she married two rulers, dealt with betrayal and imprisonment but kept her loyalty and the interests of her countries and family in mind. The bees decorate her plaques representing order from chaos.
St. Ambrose: Patron Saint of Bees (German 339–397) St. Ambrose appeared to have been an exceptionally good person, sent to solve disputes and make life better. He was proclaimed Bishop Milan by popular acclaim. While he did not want this position, he accepted it and governed well. Why the bees? They are based on a story that at his birth, bees clustered around him and he was a honeyed orator.
St. Anastasia: Protector from Poison and Saint of Healers (Serbian 281-304) She is the only saint that the Catholic Church mentioned in the canon of the church and her feast day is December 25. She was a early powerful female saint. I portrayed her with foxglove, a beautiful garden plant but also poisonous.
St. Anthony of Padua: Patron Saint of Lost People and Things, Hopeless Causes, Oppressed People and Shipwrecks (Italian 1195-1231) I still invoke St. Anthony to help find trivial things. I thought it more important to invoke St. Anthony to find the missing people of Turkey and Syria as well as the animals that we are losing due to human caused climate change, habitat loss, and, well, people.
SOLD: St. Anthony the Great : Patron Saint of the Poor, Travelers, Guardian of the Mails (Egyptian 251-356) St. Anthony was the first saint to not be matured. He became a hermit to live a hold life. This plaque show one of the episodes when he fought off demons in the desert. I imagined he had a selfie of this incident and he posted it to his Instagram page to give courage to others. He did teach many other people to become hermits, leading eventually to monastic life.
St. Barbara: Patron Saint of Artillerymen, Architects, Miners (Turkish 273-306) I hope that St. Barbara can protect the Ukrainian artillerymen who shoot with minimal protection. I emphasize contrast between the seriousness and ugliness of war and the beauty of fire and of a woman.
St. Benedict: Patron Saint of Students and Education (Italian 480-547) St. Benedict reformed monastic life by writing rules for living together in a community to ensure that the community prospered for the inhabitants. I appreciated his order and simplicity. For example, he wrote that monasteries should offer a choice of a main dish in order that everyone enjoy their food. He detailed how much extra food someone should get if they worked long hours at manual labor bringing in a harvest for example. He established the Benedictine order and the Cistercians developed from them. I include an image from a beautiful Cistercian church in Dallas, the only Cistercian teaching community in the United States.
SOLD: St. Brendan: Patron Saint of Sailors and Whales (Irish 486-578) St. Brendan, a great navigator, left Ireland and sailed to North America in the 6th century. I portray him as a blind navigator with the North Star and big dipper. However, at the end of his life he felt despair. One of the lines he wrote affected me: I fear that I shall journey alone.
SOLD: St. Brigid: Patron Saint of Ireland, Chickens and Poets (Irish 451-525) St. Brigid is the Patron Saint of more growing things; she is an earth goddess. She is wise, is a healer, and is protective. She is the patron saint for domestic animals. She seems related to the Greek goddess Demeter.
St. Caterina de Vigri: Patron Saint of Artists (Italian 1413-1463) I portrayed St. Caterina as an artist with some work reminiscent of an Anchorage artist.
SOLD: St. Catherine of Alexandria: Doctor of the Church and Patron Saint of Craftsmen Who Work with Wheels (Egyptian 287-305) She was a brilliant woman, great negotiator and a princess! Catherine of Alexandria was tortured to death on a wheel.
St. Catherine of Siena: Doctor of the Church and Protector from Sudden Death (Italian 1347-1380) I represent St. Catherine with a skull reflecting life/death and the seriousness of her studies. She is one of four female doctors of the church.
SOLD: St. Cecilia: Patron Saint of Blindness and Music (Roman 180-230) I am intrigued the St. Cecelia and St. Lucy’s connection. I show her with eyes closed, the better to listen to the birdsong.
SOLD: St. Christina the Astonishing: Patron Saint of Psychiatrists, Psychologists and Those Suffering Mental Illness (Belgium 1150-1224) St. Christina had hallucinations and thought that she could fly. While this may have been a result of ergot poisoning from infected rye grain caused by cold, damp summers in Europe, people venerated her and she inspired them with her brave suffering. I show her flying over Anchorage.
St. Christopher: Patron Saint of Travelers (Cannanite 200-251) As a child, the St. Christopher’s medals hanging from the rear view mirrors fascinated me. I thought of St. Christopher reaching out and stopping an accident. I was in a car accident as a child, preseatbelt, and thought that St. Christopher kept me from going through the windshield. Threes are also his symbols maybe because he was strong like a tree.
SOLD St. Dorothy: Patron Saint of Florists and Brewers (Turkish 250-311) The symbolism is straightforward: hops for brewers and gardeners. Hops will grow in Anchorage but the plant takes some skill and exactly the right exposure to maximize sun. St. Dorothy’s Turkish origin reminds me of the many flowers and plants that we use in the garden from tulips and crocus to rosemary and thyme.
St. Edwina: Patron Saint of Steadfastness (Mercian 610-670) St. Edwina was a strong women in an unsettled time. She almost certainly built the Sutton Hoo burial for her husband. The Sutton Hoo burial is the richest Saxon gold trove found in the United Kingdom. The distinctive mask on the background of the plaque is a likeness of the beautiful gold helmet found in the burial.
SOLD: St. Eligius: Patron Saint of Goldsmiths and Gas Station Attendants (French 588-660) People of all classes trusted St. Eligius to be honest in his dealing.A common thread in writings about St. Eligius is his honesty despite repeated temptation, a quality I admire. I do not know the connection with gas station attendants but made my link through the black gold of oil and oil company wealth.
SOLD: St. George Patron Saint of England, Archers, Knights, Soldiers, Scouts, and Fencers (Turkish 270-303) In my research for this project, I found a lot of warrior saints. St. George is certainly portrayed as one with armor and weapons, a protector of many. I also wonder what the dragon looked like who made St. George famous.
St. Hildegard of Bingen: Doctor of the Church and Patron Saint of Musicians and Writers (German 1098-1179) St. Hildegard was an amazing person, a writer, a leader, composer, a theologian. I include part of a piece of music that she wrote as well as a recipe for pretty good cookies.
St. Isidore of Seville: Patron Saint of the Internet (Spanish 560-636) Yes, we have a patron saint of the internet. I wrote “Opportunity” in binary code on the cord surrounding St. Isidore.
SOLD: St. Ivo of Kermartin Patron Saint of Lawyers and Abandoned Children (Egyptian 300-391) He was a legal scholar, with a reputation for being a defender of and advocate for the poor.
SOLD: St. Jerome: Doctor of the Church and Patron Saint of Translators, Librarians, and Encyclopedists (Dalmatian 347-420) He was a hermit, scholar and had a great library that travelled with. He pulled a thorn out of a lion's paw. He frequently contemplated mortality and always had a skull with him to remind him of his mortality.
SOLD: St. Joan of Arc: Patron Saint of France, Soldiers, Prisoners (French 1412-1431) Joan of Arc inspired me from the time I read her story as a seven year old. As a seventeen year old in her French village, Joan of Arc listened to Saints Michael the Archangel, Catherine of Alexandria, and Margaret tell her to save France from the English during the 100 years war. She did and is the reason France is France. Her story is complicated but she is brave. The Catholic Church finally declared her a saint in 1920. I often think about that time lag. Interestingly, the only existing item of hers is her helmet in a museum in Orléans, France. I modeled my Joan of Arc’s helmet’s after the original and added chain mail which she probably did not wear.
SOLD: St. Joseph of Cupertino: Patron Saint of Astronauts (Italian 1603-1663) It has struck me that astronauts must be cautious and brave, facing unknown conditions and continuing to explore. As a child, President Kennedy’s space program caught my imagination as did Star Trek on television. I appreciate all those who are brave and push past their fears to make our world better, including astronauts.
St. Joseph: Patron Saint of Families, Immigrants and Working People (Israeli 30 BCE-20) Saint Joseph was a patient man, a carpenter. He was the earthly father of Jesus. He is a protector.
St. Julia of Corsica: Patron Saint of Torture Victims (French 420-439) St. Julia was a stubborn person. She held to her beliefs and defied authority.
St. Lidwina: Patron Saint of Ice Skaters and Chronic Pain (Dutch 1380-1433) She suffered from a bad ice skating accident.
SOLD: St. Louis: Patron Saint of Builders (French 1214-1270) Saint Louis led crusades (and died in a crusade) and was the only French king to become a saint.
SOLD: St. Louise de Marillac: Patron Saint of Social Workers and Sick People (French 1591-1660) St. Louise started the Sisters of Charity because she realized that the poor needed help with navigating daily life. She organized a group of lay sisters who lived in the community to help people. They were essentially the first social workers. Sally Field's flying headgear in the television series 'The Flying Nun' was modeled after the Sisters of Charity's habit.
St. Margaret: One of Fourteen Holy Helpers and Patron Saint of Pregnant Women, Falsely Accused (Turkish 289-304) She advised Joan of Arc to go save France. She was swallowed by Satan, disguised as a dragon; his stomach, however, soon rejecting her, opened, and let her out unharmed.
St. Martha: Patron Saint of Cooks and Domestic Workers (Israeli 5-68) She is Lazarus and Mary Magdalene. She tamed a monster that was half fish that was terrorizing the population. She was devoted to people and spent her life helping others.
St. Martin of Tours: Patron Saint of Beggars and Tailors (French 316-336) He was a soldier that converted when he was in a bad storm. He was a merciful man known for cutting his cloak and sharing it with someone in need.
St. Michael: Defender from Evil and Protector of the Jewish People Angels made me think about someone who never dies and is not from anywhere in particular, is neither man or woman. Warlike angels are a contrast from what one would think of an angel gently playing a harp in heaven.
St. Melangel: Patron Saint of Hares (Welch 515-590) St. Melangel showed bravery and protected those weaker than her when a hunter on horseback and his dogs tried to kill hares. I like the story of defiance and the reward of being able to protect more animals. I show her as part of the forest with her hare.
SOLD: St. Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland and Invoked against Snakes (British 250-304) St. Patrick has a complicated history with Ireland just as Ireland has a complicated history of life and death. He was enslaved and escaped but returned. He probably bribed officials to compete his missionary work; he probably broke and bent rules in service of the greater mission. I decided to portray him as a Green Man, a mythological character and symbol of life and death.
St. Paul: Patron Saint of Theologians and Evangelists (Syrian 4 BCE-62) He wrote about 40% of the New Testament. He made his living as an itinerant tent maker. He would travel from town to town preaching to people. He famously wrote, "Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth." This is often said at weddings today.
St. Rita: Patron Saint of Impossible Causes (Italian 1381-1457) Patroness of heartbroken women, specifically for sterility, abuse victims, loneliness, marriage difficulties, parenthood, widows, and bodily ills.
St. Scholastica: Twin Sister of St. Benedict and Protectors from Violent Storms (Italian 480- 543) St. Benedict and St. Scholastica influenced each other in their religious organization and planning. I suspect that St. Benedict relied on her more than is recognized. I picked the first part of T.S. Eliot’s The Wasteland to represent her as things and people are not always what they seem.
SOLD: St. Tatiana: Patron Saint of Students (Italian, 210-235) Saint Tatiana survived being thrown to the lions.
SOLD: St. Teresa of Avila: Doctor of the Church, Patron Saint of those who Suffer Headaches and Migraines (Spanish 1515-1582) While St. Teresa wrote an inspiring book that help other find their way to faith, I like to think that she would be a brilliant lawyer who found justice for people persecuted by law. Equal Justice under Law is not an easy path. The person who posed for St. Teresa worked her life for justice and wrote important opinions that helped many people just as St. Teresa did.
St. Ursula: Patron Saint of Teachers and Archers (Cornish 363-383) She started the Ursuline order of teaching nuns. Ursa means bear and I included a large blue bear and small blue bears, the big and little dippers. The moon references sky and passage of time.
SOLD: St. Zita Patron Saint of Clean Houses and Household Chores (Italian 1212-1272) St. Zita, while hardworking and conscientious, was an independent thinker and stubborn which lead to her martyrdom. She is one of the people about whom I wonder why she was martyred. I picked a magnet, keys and color partly reflected the actual person and partly to symbolize St. Zita who did have a magnetic personality and would have been in charge of keys.
Saint Monica and Saint Augustine Before Life Becomes Difficult
70” x 43 1/4”
Acrylic and Oil on Canvas
St. Monica: Patron Saint of Married Women, Difficult Marriages, and Disappointing Children (Algerian, 331-387)
St. Augustine: Patron Saint of Printers, Brewers, and Theologians (Algerian, 354-430)
St. Monica raised three children in what is now Algeria. Her oldest, St. Augustine, left home for Rome and fell into bad company. St. Monica kept close tabs on him because she knew his potential. She made a brave decision to sacrifice her family for him and moved to Rome, extricating him from trouble. After getting him settled, she was on the way from, planning to sail from docks of Ostia Antica. She died at the docks; her son St. Augustine became one of the most noted Catholic scholars and shaped Western philosophy.
This painting portrays the quiet before the drama of life when a child transforms to an adolescent/adult.
70” x 43 1/4”
Acrylic on Canvas
Patron Saint of those in Need of Courage (French, 1412-1431)
My painting shows Joan of Arc old, walking in her village garden, wary of attack from the many enemies she made when she saved France. Going home is now always peaceful.
Joan of Arc inspired me from the time I read her story as a seven year old. As a seventeen year old in her French village, Joan of Arc listened to Saints Michael the Archangel, Catherine of Alexandria, and Margaret tell her to save France from the English during the 100 years war. She did and is the reason France is France. Her story is complicated but she is brave. The Catholic Church finally declared her a saint in 1920. I often think about that time lag. Interestingly, the only existing item of hers is her helmet in a museum in Orléans, France.
If St. Joan of Arc had Lived
St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Albert the Great Debating
52” x 70”
Acrylic on Canvas
St. Albert the Great: Patron Saint of Natural Science (Italian, 1225-1274)
St. Thomas Aquinas: Patron Saint of Knowledge, Universities, and Scholars (German, 1200-1286)
St. Albert taught St. Thomas natural sciences among other scientific subjects. They engaged in a lifelong intellectual debate. St. Thomas wrote about St. Albert later in life. I place theses two as more than teacher and student but as friends in a study enjoying the company.
Santa Lucia Looking into the Future
70” x 43 1/4”
Acrylic on Canvas
Patron Saint of the Blind (Italian, 282-303)
This painting is about looking into the future. Dogs perceive what is coming well before we do. They see into the future. I set Santa Lucia in a garden, emphasizing the sense of smell versus sight.
St. Hubert Saves the Forest - SOLD
70” x 43 1/4”
Acrylic on Canvas
Patron Saint of Firefighters and Torture Victims (Italian, 63-118)
The original St. Hubert saw a stag with a crucifix between its antlers in the forest and immediately converted. My St. Hubert saves the forest for the stag while surrounded by death. I am impressed by wildland firefighters’ sacrifice of a personal life, living in death, grime, sweat and discomfort. I had not thought about firefighters killing dying animals in a fire to save the animal from more suffering.
About The Saints I Know
I like looking at people and thinking about what makes them tick.
By looking past the arrangement of eyes, nose, mouth and ears, I can connect with the person and convert them into a portrait. In working with the textures of paint on surfaces or clay for a ceramic sculpture, I hope to show a different version of each person.
To visually express my idea that saints live among us, I transform people into saints. I identify the saint in each piece by the title and by using that saint’s specific symbolism. In this exhibit, I use two organizing structures for my saints: Instagram and realistic painted portraits. In using Instagram, a common social media application, the ceramic sculpture or plaque comments on how people choose to represent themselves in the best possible, most ideal image just as how I choose to represent people as idealized versions of themselves, saints. The paintings emphasize the humanity of the saint in realistic settings.
The Instagram plaque references how social media has invidiously crept into our lives, creating a permanent record of our material life turned into code. A single user can make their own myth, creating an altered perception of their own life. The “permanence” of Instagram on the internet and as fired ceramic pieces reminds me of the tomb monuments of the late Middle Ages of Western Europe where, with enough money, a person created their own version of their life in stone while reminding the viewer of the transience of life. Instagram levels the ability of people to create their own vision of themselves. Anyone with a smart phone can have an Instagram version of themselves which is as permanent in its way as a tomb monument.
By making portraits of relatively anonymous people and pairing them with saints that fit their personalities or the good deeds that they have done, I am replicating the ideas of the early Christian saints who became beatified by ordinary people. How people represent themselves fascinates me: whether it is in an Instagram posting or as a stone tomb monument or a commissioned portrait.
Introduction to the Ceramic Sculptures:
This show is possible due to all who agreed to let me cast their faces. I am grateful for their trust. Many have written down their experiences in being cast; I have incorporated the writings in a book which is on display.Each sculpture is approximately 13 x 9.6 inches and varies in depth from approximately 3 to 6 inches. The plaques are high fire earthenware with red and white terra sigillata, stains, underglazes, glazes, gold and silver lusters. The candle holder is steel with an artificial candle.
Sculptures and paintings are for sale. To purchase,click here. I haven’t figured out shipping yet. These pieces are fragile. Shipping will cost extra.
Sculptures $450 (+$50 for the candle and candle holder)
Paintings $2,800
The Face Casting Process
I have cast 44 faces of friends, family, and strangers that have become friends. First is a silicone layer to mold to the face, then a plaster casting over this. Once these pieces have dried, a slab of clay is pushed into the cast. Once removed from the cast, the faces gets hand detailing work, and get added to the base piece of clay, which is then adorned with details that pertain to each saint. Each sculpture is fired three times before they are complete.