Hyde Park Dining Room Mural

I had the great joy of painting a mural for the dining room of my friends Chris and Hallie! Here are some pics. It was such a joy to paint. More images coming soon.

Three Small Altarpieces for St. John's Cathedral, Denver

EPIPHANY

For this piece for Epiphany, Grant was given the prompt. "stars, science and nature as paths to God" He spent a week sketching in the forests around St. Gregory's Abbey in Michigan, and was inspired by a few scenes from The Lion King. He also had Shirley Bassey's "I, Capricorn" on repeat. in painting this work while Australia burned he reflects "Now is a great time to listen deeply to our planet and universe for God's voice". 

LENT

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Lent is a favourite season of mine, because it gives us the chance to sit with our own mortality, in a way that we tend to avoid. I am so used to attending awkward midwestern funerals where folks mumble pain-avoidant, invented theology. Sitting with pain, with suffering and even with death is transformative. For this piece I wanted to sit with the idea of mourning our future destruction of the planet. For many of us, the reality of climate change is only just now sinking in, and I wanted us to have the space to grieve that. Stylistically, I was inspired by a recent re-reading of C.S. Lewis' Till We Have Faces, a retelling of the Cupid and Psyche Myth. 

EASTER

In painting this piece for Easter, I wanted to start with the explosive, joyful feeling of Easter and Vernal excitement. I let my imagination run wild a bit. In that spirit, cicadas have gradually emerged as a symbol to discuss the energy and noise of the resurrection. Many of the plant motifs in this work (laurel, aloe, olives, lily) each have their meanings in the context of Easter. Still, I spent most of my time meditating on the life-cycle of cicadas and contemplating their re-emergence.

The text I included from Wendell Berry’s poem “Mad Farmer Liberation Front” has always captured my imagination: “Practice Resurrection.” It struck me again as I was painting, realizing that as those who imitate Christ, perhaps we have too quickly skipped past this responsibility. We have made too weak a habit of our call to tear down, and rebuild, to die, and come back, resilience and re-imagination. We have fallen far short of being known for re-animation.

So this Easter, I’m sitting with the ways that Christ (and the cicada) invite us to constant renewal and reinvention. Nothing comes back to life the same as it was before. Let us transform. 

Advent Design for St. Benedict's Parish, Chicago

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2019

Acrylic on Canvas

Chicago

Best Week Ever Video

in 2019 United Federal Credit Union sponsored me to paint an interactive mural for the City of South Bend's "Best Week Ever" festival. Video by Tommy Oldham

Advent Altarpiece

This little altarpiece was inspired by my time retreating in the forest during the winter at St. Gregory’s Abbey in Three Rivers, Michigan. It uses the text from Isaiah, that says- “Out of the stump of Jesse, A shoot will rise”… basically- “Out of something decaying… new life!” The news can’t get any better than that, right?

This piece was commissioned for the Advent season at the Chapel of the Holy Spirit, in South Bend, but is available on loan to any church or chapel that wants something new for their Advent season.

PAX

GRANT

New Icons for Urban Village Church, Chicago

Dorothy Day Icon, 2018

As I am finishing up my residency with Urban Village Church in Chicago, my supervising pastor asked for a way for the congregation to create and remember those who have shown us God, or given us hope. We started a series of workshops where congregants could create paintings (they are not technically icons) that bring the "cloud of witnesses", faith heroes, or those who have shown us God, into our weekly worship space. This will be an ongoing project for the church, and it already seems to have unleashed some folks to dream up new and creative ways to create and remember together. 

PAX,

GRANT

A Conversation on Art and Faith with Nathan Michael

"I have inherent value that was given to me regardless of what I create... but because of that, I'm able to bring that gift back to the World." In this episode, Low Res Studio founder, Nathan Michael and I discuss "Embracing Mystery", and the importance of the creative work we do in non-Church spaces.

Production / Video / Direction - David Vosburg http://davidvosburg.com/ Nathan Michael Special thanks to Low Res Studio for hosting us! http://www.lowresstudio.com/ Theme song by Dena Dena Dena  https://denadenadena.bandcamp.com/ 

 

PAX,

GRANT

Mural For The Well, River Park (Details)

I will post better photos soon, but here are some snaps from my recent mural for the Well in River Park. This faith community has been a beautiful addition to my hometown- a space for so many of the folks who don't fit into traditional churches. I adore what they are building and dreaming up together, and it was an honour that they commissioned me for this project. 

More soon. 

PAX, 

GRANT

A conversation about Art and Faith with Michelle J. Rodriguez

Michelle J. Rodriguez shares her perspective as an artist with a background in the Church... and especially as a woman of intersecting cultural identities seeking to carve out a new identity and spiritual practice.

Produced, Edited and Filmed by David Vosburg

Hosted by Jonathan Randall Grant (me!) 

Theme Song by Dena Dena Dena

Recent Civic Engagement

One of the benefits of being in Chicago, is being surrounded by a community of activated clergy. Of the pastors and priests I know here, I have a strong crew who are committed to justice, inclusion, radical welcome, restoration, and reparations. It is a community that works across religious boundaries to bring forth change. Many of these I meet with each week, and are some of the clergy who are mentoring me personally. It has been a huge space of transformation for me to be so supported, surrounded, and challenged. 

On Monday, a few of us gathered with faith leaders from around the city to stand along side those who will be left vulnerable by the repeal of DACA. We affirmed that our faith is an immigrant faith, that our God is in solidarity with the marginalised, and that we are committed to shepherding faith communities that advocate for immigrants and shield them from policies informed by greed and violence.  

We will gather again on March 5th (the day DACA protections are set to expire) If you are around the city at that time, please join us.