The third work in my Faith Series explores the transformative power of grace. Faith is rarely a straight or perfect journey. Grace gives us the freedom to move beyond our own expectations, rules, and transformations, allowing beauty to emerge through imperfection. 

For this piece, I intentionally stepped outside my comfort zone. Rather than relying on photographic references, I painted a Southwestern folk-art interpretation of Mary and the Christ Child entirely from memory and intuition. I began sketching the image with NuPastel, unaware that it would resist the layers of tempera paint that followed. What initially felt like a mistake soon became one of the work's most meaningful symbols. The resistant marks reminded me of our own human tendency to resist faith, change, and surrender. Instead of starting over, I chose to continue, allowing the unexpected to become part of the story. Through patience and persistance, the painting revealed its own quiet beauty.

The architectural image carries a parallel narrative. The old adobe Catholic church has been lovingly repaired by generations of local residents who gather to patch it weathered walls. For hundred of years, hand have returned to restore what time has worn away, preserving both the building and the community's shared faith. The church stands not because it has remained flawless, but because it has been continually renewed.

When these two images are blended together, they become a mediation on grace. Both the painting and the church remind us that faith is not found in perfection, but in restoration. We are continually shaped, repaired, and renewed, often through the very places we resist the most. Grace meets us there, patiently transforming our imperfections into something enduring, beautiful, and deeply human. 

Signed limited edition archival pigment print from the Faith Series.