When Fr. Oscar Jaramillo talked with me about painting, I began by thinking about their patron, St. Jude, who is the patron saint of desperate or impossible causes. Why would we ask him to pray for us in these circumstances? Perhaps because as a disciple and cousin of Jesus, Jude KNEW without a doubt that Jesus was the Son of God and could do ANYTHING. He witnessed many of Jesus's miracles, including changing water into wine, feeding the 5,000, raising Lazarus from the dead, curing people with all sorts of afflictions, driving out demons, commanding a storm to be calm, and coming back to life after death on the cross.
We discussed having one of these miracle stories as a centerpiece of the sanctuary. We looked at reproductions of classic works to connect into the deep well of beautiful Catholic art that has been created over the centuries. I digitally placed images of some of these paintings into a photo of St. Jude’s sanctuary. As discussions continued, we looked at different wall colors and options of moving or removing elements. The Photoshop software is wonderful for enabling us to see the possibilities before any actual physical changes are made.
Photoshopped image with El Greco's "Christ healing the Blind"
Photoshopped image with a portion of Muziano's "Raising of Lazarus"
Photoshopped image with Murillo's "The Marriage Feast at Cana"
Photoshopped image with Rembrandt's "Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee"; the final choice for image and colors, but before the decision to remove the red on the side walls and repaint the Stations.
As design decisions were made by Father and a committee of parishioners, we further discussed timeline, budget, and which tasks each of us would be responsible for. Parishioners would prepare, patch and paint the walls. I would work on the 7’x9’ painting of the storm in my studio, do a faux finish on the sanctuary wall, and give the carved wooden Stations of the Cross color.
We wanted to stay fairly true to Rembrandt’s painting, but make some alterations. We wanted more vibrant colors than the original and more pronounced light coming from Christ to illuminate the back of the boat, which is in the shadow of the sail. Despite all of the drama of the storm, we wanted our eyes to be drawn to Christ and the peace that radiates from Him.
The ship is a metaphor for the Church while the storm is our environment or world, complete with the troubles Jesus foretold. It’s interesting to notice each man’s reaction to the turmoil, and to find oneself in one of the men. There’s also a touch of pink (the color of joy) in the cloud break and the radiating peace around Christ that reminds us that no matter what troubles come, God is present and in control. Even if He allows the storm to kick up for a while, we can trust that all will be well. Jesus’ words to His disciples on this occasion should ring in our ears: “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” (Mk 4:40).
As the parishioners of St. Jude’s pray in the nave of their church, I hope this painting reminds them of Jesus’ very real and loving presence in their everyday lives, and that He is all knowing, all powerful and all good.