Art Appreciation: My Christian Artist James Seward

There were dozens of second cousins running and playing in the backyard having the time of our lives, while the first cousins and aunts and uncles caught up with each other under the shade of the two giant elms, I would routinely duck into the house to see what Uncle Charlie had been working on. He would often find me looking at his art that hung in the hall and living room and he would so articulately tell me about each of the works. Charlie was so eloquent in sharing with his visions and methods with me that he soon became my mentor in all things spiritual and artistic. I so enjoyed being around him at a young age and looked forward to seeing one painting after another. Charlie was always so caring in the way he would explained what his thoughts were about the subject and how he the painter sees regarding the light and tonality of the work. Charlie spoke of experiments with painting techniques. He spoke of weaving strokes of color tones in creating subtle overall image of the subject. I recall a painting of a young boy who appeared to be singing a popular song of the time. “Red Roses” trying to capture the essence of sound in the portrait. We listened to the song and gazed at the portrait. Yes, it worked to my young

My most recent series of paintings, Society’s Reflection, deals with religious stereotypes. Starting with six traditional religious figures, I alter their appearance in ways society wouldn’t expect such as adding tattoos, piercings, or including a transgender figure. This allows me to break up stereotypes and reflect the true diversity of our society. These changes are intended to show that anyone can study a religion or hold a certain set of beliefs, regardless of how they look on the outside. I have been stereotyped for my entire life, which is why I have a strong connection to this series.

Heffernan’s paintings express her untamed imagination with majestic fantasy, dream-like subjects, yet she paints with a very classic technique. When I first viewed The Self Portrait as Wunderkabinett, Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel came to mind. Michelangelo illustrates the desire and describes the oneness that humans anticipate with God through salvation. The artists painting technique is traditional, with the sensible and realistic proportions of the human body, the distinguishing lines, the application of shadow, the intricate detail on every object within the painting, and the use of traditional complementary color pairs.

The artists that are today most closely associated with Snyder County are: The Reverend George Geistweite, Henry Young, and Francis Portzline. There are others like Frederick Kuster, Johann Conrad Trevits, Daniel Diefenbach, and Daniel Otto who probably never lived or worked within the geographical confines of what is today Snyder County, but were close enough to produce work for local families and influenced and were influenced by the works of others within this region. Also, some important artists from the area have never been identified and are known only because of their specific style or families for whom they created documents. The “Union County Scrivener” who seems to have worked entirely in what is today Snyder County, The Spigelmeyer Artist, and The Augusta Township Artist are just a few that fall into this latter category. Other artists produced works for local families, but often they fall into a group of itinerates who traveled about the state looking for families who wanted their Bibles brought up to date or documents created for a specific event.

Jasper Johns was born in Augusta, Georgia on May 15, 1930. He is still alive today known for his paintings and printmaking. During his childhood, he lived with his father’s grandparents due to his parents’ marriage ending. His only introduction to art as a child was of paintings in his grandfather’s house of his grandmother who had died. He then moved around among with his aunt then his mother throughout his teenage years, and then finally graduated high school in Sumter South Carolina as valedictorian of his class. After high school, Jasper then spent little time enrolled at the University of South Carolina, and later directed his education to New York City studying at the Parsons School of Design. A few years later he was drafter to Sendai, Japan to fight during the Korean War in 1952. Two years later, he came back to New York where he met his partner, Robert Rauschenberg. Jasper’s art career began when he discovered the world of contemporary art sharing views with Merce Cunningham and John Cage. His work was revealed at Rauschenberg’s studio to Leo Castelli, a gallery owner who gave Jasper his first solo show in 1958. This led to his pieces being bought by the founder of New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Later in 1963, Johns and Cage both founded the Foundation of Contemporary Performance Arts in New York City, which is now known today as the Foundation of Contemporary Arts.

My faith has allowed me to believe that miracles happen to good people despite other’s doubts; therefore, I believe if I try my best, I can succeed. To showcase my skills and potential, I yearn to sell my art in markets, take pictures at various events, and create customized accessories and commissioned pieces. In addition, I plan to contribute to community mural paintings, and collaborative pieces. Above all, I will be striving to display my work in galleries. Through my work, I yearn to educate and raise awareness to all I am passionate about. I hope to impact the world in some

Paul Klee will always be remembered as one of the world’s greatest modern artists. Not only through his inspiring artwork that was trendsetting for many generations of artists to come, but also his writings and lectures that were extremely valuable to the world of modern art laying the ground work for mastering color, style, and simplicity; Klee was truly one of the all-time greats at what he did. Klee was also one of the first artists to recognize the art of the self-taught and mentally ill. Klee said: “Only children, madmen, and savages, truly understand the in-between world of spiritual truth”.

As I explored the James T. Bialac Native American Art Collection at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, I came across two paintings that really stood out to me because of their relevance to what we have been learning in class. In muted tones of blue and yellow, Harry Oosahwee’s (Cherokee) One Fall Morning depicts a Cherokee family in a barren rural landscape; animals and plants dot the landscape, and a small wooden house sits on the far right of the painting accompanied by a father, mother, and child to the left.

Art is something you can observe no matter where you are from, each piece of art withholds the thoughts of the painter and viewer that portrays a message. Thomas Cole a revolutionary painter started a new evolution of art that still inspires people to this day. Thomas Cole was born in the year 1801 in Lancashire, England, however when he turned seventeen Thomas’s family emigrated to the United States where he started his art legacy. Thomas first worked in Philadelphia as a wood engraver before moving to Steubenville, Ohio where his father kick started his wallpaper manufacturing business. Unhappy working in the wallpaper business Thomas seeked something more suitable, on the side he was learning the basics of a few paintings genres ranging

in the year of 1785. He had studied art with Edward Savage in New York from 1800-

There are several different types of artists in the world. There are painters, sculptors, poets, writers, photographers, singers, dancers, etc. Every one of these artists integrates art into their every day life. A photographer named Colie James is a perfect example of incorporating art into her daily life She is a Boulder Newborn Photographer that offers on-location and in-home lifestyle and storytelling family and newborn photography sessions. She is drawn to relationships between people and grasping everyday life. She tells stories of others in images. She focuses on capturing the moments that provide lasting memories that everyone can cherish, share with friends, and pass down to generations.

Your post reminded me of a man that lived just over the Warner Mountains from where I live. His name was Edward Puchalski, he was born in Poland in 1906 and passed away in 2004 at the age of 97. He lived alone in a small cabin basically out in the middle of nowhere. He was a very humble, sweet man but I had somewhat of a hard time understanding him due to his accent. I had no idea he was a talented painter when I met him. His parents owned hotels and restaurants, but lost it all when the Communists invaded Poland. He trained as a classical concert musician and came to the U.S. in 1950. He started painting in 1963, but felt he wasn't talented enough to sell his art. His style reminds me of Van Gough. By the time he passed away he had produced

Being a Christian artist has influenced me emensly. I know that God created every thing perfectly in his image. Even when I don’t like a piece because it didn’t turn out how I wanted it to, I know its still beautiful. I think I can lead others to Christ through my artwork by showing someone that everything has beauty, even if it’s not society’s standards of beauty. On all my mission trips to Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Uganda I was constantly overwhelmed by the landscape, people, clothes and even food. This is all art, every inch, every tree, and every piece of clothing. And I know as an already Christian if those things inspire and overwhelm me that is has to overwhelm non-believers.

Throughout the vast history of art, historians can find connections throughout the centuries. Artists from the beginning of humankind have been inspired by the world around them. From the Apollo 11 stones to present day, history and culture have provided inspiration and have been the focus of various pieces. Examining artwork from the 15th-18th century, viewers can be shown a whole world that would be unknown to us without these artist’s contributions. History, religion, and cultural events have sculpted the art world, and we can observe this through many pieces during the 15th-18th centuries.

The history of art dates back to ancient times. Artwork can be, and was, found around the world. What makes art interesting is that it can be created in any way, shape or form with any materials. It seems that the artwork can also tell us a lot about the artist. Art seems to be simply, a direct, visual reflection of the artist’s life. Therefore, one can assume that an artist’s life experiences and beliefs directly influence their art. If we look at examples from different periods of art we will be able to see the connection between the artist and the art.