The Temptation of Christ (Explanation)

In my last post, I shared a drawing of the Temptation and asked for readers to point out the symbolism. In this post, I'm going to explain the different symbols that I incorporated into the drawing. I don't always do this. One reason is that I don't want to deprive the viewer of discovering these things for themselves. A work of art becomes more impactful and memorable if the viewer has to work a little at it. That "aha!" moment becomes a reward in itself for the observer who invests a few extra minutes in the work of art.

But there is also a trade-off. If I don't explain the work in my own words, sometimes things that I think are obvious will be missed, or a viewer will put a different spin on it. In this instance, a viewer found the words "I AM" written in the rocks, which I had not at all intended to write. Some symbols do not communicate as clearly as they might, and this is a problem inherent to the visual arts. So with that being said, the following is a brief explanation of "The Temptation of Christ."

1. Satan: In my previous approaches to this subject, the devil had been a shadowy figure dressed in a tattered black robe. Some years ago, I decided a change in costume would be not only less cliché, but more appropriate. I thought, why shouldn't Satan be dressed as Caesar in all his glory? Satan claimed to own the entire world—as the caesars did—and he also asked that Jesus bow down and worship him—as did Domitian and other Roman emperors. The symbolism didn't have to be invented, since it is already well-established in Roman art. So I dressed Satan as Caesar, wearing a sword as a symbol of his warring conquests. He holds a scepter in his hand, symbolizing his dominion over the earthly kingdom. His posture indicates his arrogance and vanity as he gestures toward the kingdoms of the earth and their splendor.
2. The Lion: The devil is described as a "roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Pet 5:8). There are lions emblazoned on Satan's sandals and in the center of his breastplate, an appropriate symbol of his power and bloodlust.
3. The Dragon: The book of Revelation describes Satan as "the great Dragon...that serpent of old" (Rev 12:9), which brings to mind that first deception in the Garden of Eden. He wears the symbol of a dragon embossed on his breastplate as a boast: "Look what I have done to God's perfect creation!"
4. The Tree: The devil's scepter points to a stunted and withered tree, which brings to mind the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil—the means by which he overcame mankind by introducing sin into the world. But Satan could little guess that a tree would also the means by which Jesus would overcome him.
5. Jesus: Jesus is in every way Satan's opposite. He is the picture of humility—the Suffering Servant. His back is bent, his hair unkept, his clothing torn, his eyes downcast, and he doesn't appear to have the strength to even stand. He is facing away from Satan, and he shows no interest at all in his grand offer. Instead, if you follow his downcast gaze, it is focused on some cracks in the rock which resemble a body hanging on a cross. Jesus was ever conscious of his mission, and solely motivated by love. He resisted each temptation, maintaining his divine perfection—only hinted at here as a thin cloud which forms an 'accidental' halo over Jesus' head.

Pencil and white charcoal on toned paper, 2013.

The Temptation of Christ

This is a drawing I made last year of the Temptation. Matt. 4:8, 9. See if you can find all the symbolism.

Whoever can write the best commentary on this illustration, drawing attention to all the symbols, by 12:00 PM Central on Saturday, Jan. 18, wins an autographed print of the drawing!

Longer is not necessarily better. Winner chosen at the discretion of the artist. Leave commentaries in the comments section.

Pencil and white charcoal on toned paper, 2013.

Man of Sorrows

A drawing from my sketchbook. 

Isaiah 53:3 "He was despised and rejected by men,

a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.

Like one from whom men hide their faces

he was despised, and we esteemed him not."

Website update

Hey, folks. There's a new page on my website at Scapegoat Studio. I uploaded some of the watercolors I did for Joel Pankow's children's book, "The Stick and the Stone," which is ready for publication. It would have been at the press already, but BRIO Publishing suddenly went bankrupt. So the book will hopefully be published in 2013, pending a new publisher.

Anyway, check out the new page. I also updated the "Contact" page as well, including a new mugshot and current contact information. Please feel free to leave comments here!

The Greatest Sermon Ever Sung

Handel's Messiah is perhaps one of the most well-known pieces of music in the English language. And, for the past 3+ years, I've had the pleasure of getting to know it much more intimately. Pastor Tony Pittenger (ELS) of Port Orchard, WA, approached me to illustrate his "Bible study" on the Messiah. I was very happy to accept, although I had no idea how long it would take or how much work would be involved. Nevertheless, it's nice to look back on the finished product now and be proud of how it turned out.

The book is written to be a listener's guide to the Messiah. Pittenger's commentary explains the theology of the scripture selections, Handel's artistic devices, and, occasionally, relevant historical background. The commentaries are about the right length to read while the music is playing. The book also includes Bible study outlines in the back, in order to facilitate its use as a devotional study or group Bible study. I can personally say that illustrating the book has not only has made me better acquainted with the music, but it has brought me closer to my Savior. I think that reading and studying the book with the music and its illustrations will do the same for you.

It really is a fantastic book, and I know of nothing else like it on the market. It retails for $22.95, which is already a great price for a full-color, 40-page, hardcover book. But you can order them autographed from the author for $18 USD + shipping. We've sold over half of the first printing in the four months since it has been published. If you would like your own copy, you can purchase them online here: www.facebook.com/MessiahBook.

More Watercolors

Here are a few more illustrations for "The Stick and the Stone." I particularly liked how these illustrations turned out. We're shooting to have the book finished by the end of summer. These are 9x9 in. watercolor on Arches 140# cold press.

Northwest Territories

I really enjoy history. Recently I completed a commission for a map that will be used for a film documentary about George Rogers Clark. The documentary covers the expansion of US territories shortly after the Revolutionary War. I was asked to make a few versions of the map so that the territories can morph into the present states. It was interesting to see how strangely shaped some of the states were, because the colonies had claimed huge swaths of land that no one had really explored yet—and some of those claims were disputed with England and Spain. The first map shows the United States circa 1780, and the second shows the same territories circa 1860 as states in their more-or-less present form.

There is a bit of a wonky character to most maps from that time period, because they didn't have extremely accurate ways of mapping large territories. Because of this, I didn't worry too much about getting the map as accurate as possible. And in some places, I gave preference to the drawing on older maps, especially where they were distorted. It gives it an added vintage quality, which is what the filmmakers were going for.

Watercolor process

Well, in case anyone was wondering, I'm not dead. It's just been an extremely busy six months. My son was born in November. In January we decided we couldn't afford to stay in Savannah any longer, so we moved to Omaha the first week of April. I went on some job interviews later that month. Then I gave a lecture on worship arts in Wisconsin. And now we're still trying to get settled and I'm still looking for a second job, but trying to get back into the swing of things.

This is what I was working on before the move. These are some process photos of the watercolor illustrations for "The Stick and the Stone." The paper is stretched wet and stapled onto a 1/2" plywood board. I transfer the drawing onto the paper with graphite transfer paper. With this backlit piece, I applied masking fluid to the sun and did the sky first, working from background to foreground. I usually do some minor tweaking with values and color in Photoshop for the final.

Living Hope Anniversary

On August 14th, my former church, Living Hope Lutheran in Omaha, Nebraska, celebrated its 25th anniversary. I was commissioned to design a bulletin cover to celebrate the event. The motif behind Jesus is used in the church's architecture, including the window found at the apex of the sanctuary. The text is 1 Peter 1:3, from which the church took its name.

Godly love : Worldly love

My brother-in-law is getting married in a little over a week, and I was asked to design the cover of their service folder. When I was given their readings, I decided to make a drawing based on John 15:12. "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you" (NRSV).

It sums up the gospel very nicely, especially if you include v. 13: "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends." The nail marks remind us that God's love is entirely different from worldly love. Worldly love is self-serving; we are willing only to enter into a marriage as long as our partner is fulfilling our needs. When the seas get choppy, we jump ship. God's love is selfless; he fulfilled our deepest need, even though it cost him his life, and even though we could provide nothing in return. 

Marriage is intended to be a picture of God's love for his precious bride, the Church. Christian marriages would not fall apart if each husband would realize that it is his duty to sacrifice of himself—his own comfort, his needs, and even his life, if necessary—for his wife. This sacrifice triggers a response of loving commitment from each wife, just as the Church responds to Christ's self-giving love. No spouse is perfect in fulfilling his or her role, of course, but then we may always look to Christ's forgiveness, and start each day anew in his grace.

Gilgamesh, Part II

In my Concept Design class this quarter, I decided to continue working on my interpretation of the Gilgamesh epic. This time I wanted to focus more on drawings, since I felt they were lacking in my last presentation. I also made a maquette of the Bull of Heaven. I didn't have time to finish making all the scales, but otherwise the sculpting part is finished. It's made with Super Sculpey and Super Sculpey Firm, mixed together. I intended to bake and paint it, but didn't have time. Still, a grey maquette is a great tool for seeing how a three-dimensional form looks in real space, from different angles, and in different lighting scenarios.

The kingdom of Sumer, 2600 B.C.

Gilgamesh, age progression

Gilgamesh slaying Huvawa

Gilgamesh riding the Bull of Heaven

Elohim, in human form

The tower of Babel under construction

New Book Project

These are the beginnings of a book entitled "The Stick and the Stone." It's about a conversation between an Israelite boy and Moses in the desert. The author uses the miracles performed through Moses' staff and the miracle of water from the rock at  Meribah to explain Christian doctrine. The illustrations are done in watercolor on cold press.

Gilgamesh final renders

Gilgamesh

This fall, I took a Sequential class at SCAD called "Conceptual Illustration." Throughout the quarter, we were writing a story, designing and developing the main character, environments, props, side characters, etc. We were required to build a maquette of the character, a model of an environment/structure, and a prop, vehicle, or animal sidekick. Each part had to be supported by developmental sketches, turnaround views, orthographic projections, color keys, etc. It was a ton of work, but it was one of the most rewarding classes in my graduate school experience. (Ironically, it was an undergraduate level class.)

Earlier this year, I had stumbled upon Gilgamesh when researching the Biblical character, Nimrod. I was immediately intrigued, and began researching this Sumerian warrior-king, whom extra-biblical sources sometimes equated with Nimrod. I read some translations of the Gilgamesh Epic (probably the oldest surviving literary work), studied Sumerian archaeology and culture, and began trying to harmonize the biblical account with the surviving Babylonian account. Much of this was surprisingly easy. For instance, the Sumerian record of kings has Gilgamesh ruling Uruk for 120 years. Secular history does not allow for such long lifespans—biblical history does. The Epic also contains a strikingly similar telling of the great flood to the account in Genesis.

Anyway, I could bore you with all the loads of fascinating stuff I learned, or I could just show you the work I did. For the purposes of the class, our story had to be a "retelling" if we were basing it on an existing story line. So this isn't meant to be historical or factual, even though I attempted to give it that flavor.