Gallery
Welcome to my gallery! If you are interested in doing a commission or even just to look around, here is where you get the full view of the art that comes out of my art studio Begotten Not Made!
Oil Paintings
This is my favorite painting showing St. Joseph and the Child Jesus resting together in peaceful sleep. In honoring the quite strength of fatherhood, it reflects the divine order of the family --- where God entrusted Joseph with the care and protection of the Holy Family by speaking to him through dreams such as to take Mary into his home, and to carry the family safely into Egypt. Inspired by the tradition of the Sleeping St. Joseph, this piece is a reminder of trust, peace, and the quiet strength of a father's love.
Being from South Dakota, I decided to paint what I considered to be one of the most beautiful places of the state! This is an oil painting capturing Spearfish Canyon in the Black Hills. This hills get their name from the thick pine forests which cover them. I enjoyed this painting because it taught me that I can bring to the canvas any of my favorite pictures of nature as well as any of yours!
Inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia, this painting reflects the mystery of what is hidden yet greater than all we see. Just as Lucy steps through the wardrobe into a vast, wonder-filled world, this artwork invites reflection on the reality that within the small space of the tabernacle dwells the infinite --- Christ Himself.
The tabernacle, which name comes from the Hebrew word for "tent," also reminds us that God loves to dwell among His People. Through warm tones and radiant light, this piece captures both reverence and awe --- a glimpse into the divine mystery within humble beauty.
This painting is a reinterpretation of an image found in the Basilica of Saints Cosmas and Damian in Rome. I was deeply moved by how it shows St. Anthony studying Scripture as the Infant Jesus appears before him—standing on the very table that foreshadows the altar where He will one day offer Himself as the Eucharistic feast. I love this image because it captures the mystery of The Word made flesh: the moment when Christ, too young to speak, still has something profound to say.
After doing a couple paintings of the Kartause in Watercolor I wanted to give it a try in oil. The Kartause is the study abroad location of Franciscan University and it is ultimately where I fell in love with painting. The location is an old Carthusian Monetary which is tucked beautiful into the giant Austrian mountains. Hundreds of students get to call the place their home while they get to beautifully pursue the liberal arts in the classroom.
I painted this image before I found out that it would become the place that I would get engaged! The location is called Black Elk's Peak, and it is considered to be the highest point in all of South Dakota as well as the highest point east of the Rocky Mountains. The painting to me now serves as a reminder that anything beautiful is worth pursuing especially if it takes hard work to get there. By the top you are sweating and feeling a bit sore but are rewarded with captivating views and getting to be that much closer to the heavens. Looking back I see that it was the perfect place to begin pursuing the sacrament of marriage.
Watercolor
This is a watercolor interpretation of Michelangelo's famous Pietà, focusing on the hands of Mary and Christ. This piece captures the gentleness of being held by Mary as a mother and by the Church as a source of love and comfort. It is painted to invite quiet reflection on tenderness, peace, and divine care.
This image is one of two Kartause depictions that I have done. Both originals were given as gifts to professors who teach in the study abroad program. The foreign place seems to effortlessly become a cozy home but I find that to be a gift earned by the hard work of the community who live there and make it so. This image becomes a way for anyone who has been blessed by that experience to connect those two place by bringing this image into their own home.
This is the last of my Kartause paintings shown here but it was the first one I painted. I knew every time I walked to class and saw that view of the monastery that I had to bring it to color life with paint. In some ways this is where my painting career began. I would sit on the step outside by the red flowers and dive into the maginifcent world of beauty not knowing that it could some day turn into a vocation!
Graphite
I love doing graphite drawings for weddings, newborns, or any other portrait. It's like getting all the classiness of a black and white photo, but then realizing it is hand drawn!
More Paintings Coming Soon!
I'm finishing up my theology degree right now at Franciscan University, but I already have many ideas for the next things I want to paint. Let me know if you have ideas too!!!