My deep dive into the life of Saint Francis began with learning that my sister bought a house in Rockport Texas with a rock fireplace that displayed St. Francis with the birds.
A few years back I had acquired a hand carved Saint Francis sculpture on a visit to a monastery in Vermont and I I thought I should send it to her as a gift. BUT much as that seemed like a grand idea, my love of the possession prevented me from this generous gesture. SO, to appease my guilt I decided to make a picture of the sculpture and send that instead.
I shared this story of my greed to others and one by one without exception they shared stories with me about their own personal relationship with Saint Francis. This caused me to be curious to the point of declaring I would conduct an inquiry into his life and explore what I learn in art.
I read 13 books on Francis. I watched movies. I looked at u-tube presentations. Congo church approached me about a possible show.
When I began, I was unsure. As I moved into the investigation, I began to understand how this man’s life became so inspiring to others. I loved his spontaneity and joyfulness. His bands of followers were such an inspiration. His quest to live as Jesus did, reminded me of the truths I had forgotten.
In the beginning creating the images of the man was a struggle but by the end they came to me easily. The quotes felt so relevant for today.
Of course, as I read more, I began to feel bad for Saint Francis. The years of serving others while not caring for his own body began to take its toll. Leprosy and blindness brought him to an early death. In the end, I am not sure he was pleased with the direction the church took in his name.
As for me, I will be forever changed by my months spent examining his life. I will never pass another homeless beggar in Brattleboro without recognizing the similarities. I will never need to apologize for an inclination to be generous and kind.
Luckily, for me, I found a new source of St. Francis sculptures. So, my sister will be happy.
All images are created using acrylic markers on Canson archieval colored papers.
