Portrait of a New Saint

Not too long ago, my husband and I received a very special gift from our daughter-in-law Preciosa, who married our middle son last December.  It is a signed and numbered print by a talented artist named Carrie Mitchell, who is a good friend of Preciosa's.  It is a portrait of a very special individual, a holy man whom I'm sure you'll all recognize...

Is that not the most beautiful portrait of JPII--or as of yesterday, Saint JPII?  I think it's absolutely brilliant.

The funny thing is, Mitchell never even set out to be a painter.  In the bio on her website, she writes:

As a child I was artistic, but never thought to study art formally. It wasn't until I was finishing my bachelor's degree in Social Sciences that I had an elective to burn, and enrolled in "Painting for Non-Majors." I dabbled in paints for a semester (and loved it), but was soon on my way to studying for my Master's in Theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, a small Catholic school in Ohio. 

While there I had the chance to study for a semester abroad in Rome, where I couldn't turn a corner without encountering a great masterpiece. Quite simply, I fell in love with beauty. But more than that, I understood the power that art has to express ultimate Beauty, God himself.

If you're interested in learning more about the gifted artist behind this portrait titled "John Paul the Great," or if you'd like to peruse some of Mitchell's other works, you can find her here on the world wide web.

There are some things I really love to promote on this blog: books--especially the works of Catholic authors who write wholesome, inspirational fiction, as you might have guessed from all of my What We're Reading Wednesday link-ups at Housewifespice; and art--especially religious works that showcase the glory of God, and also that of His specially chosen friends, the saints.  So it is with pleasure that I introduce you to this wonderful young painter.  Bravo, Carrie Mitchell!  Well done, good and faithful servant!