Sacred Art

As a lifelong Catholic, I’ve been blessed with many opportunities to use my artistic skills in service of the Church.

Over the years, I’ve contributed to a variety of projects that enhance sacred spaces and invite deeper reflection and reverence.

One of the most meaningful projects was leading the creation and installation of a large-scale mosaic and a series of life-sized icons at Christ the King Catholic Church in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

THE MOSAIC

This monumental mosaic was brought to life through the dedication of a passionate team of volunteers working under my direction. I asked volunteers to log their hours, and by the end of the project, we had collectively dedicated more than 1,800 hours over the course of 15 months. It was a true labor of love—and faith.

Every piece of colored glass was carefully hand-cut and placed onto a gridded backing following a meticulously painted design. The work was initially completed off-site, allowing us to manage the process with care and precision. Once the mosaic was fully assembled, we transferred it to the sanctuary, where it was permanently affixed to the wall and grouted in place. The finished piece frames the tabernacle— the visual centerpiece and spiritual focal point—and is infused with the prayer, time, and talents of the community who made it.

You can see more photos and behind-the-scenes details of the process on Facebook: CTK Mosaic Project.

THE ICONS

Traditionally, sacred icons are painted using age-old techniques: egg tempera and gold leaf applied to gessoed wooden panels, following a deeply symbolic and prayerful process. My colleague Ruth Tapio and I created life-sized icons of the four Evangelists for Christ the King Catholic Church in Ann Arbor. Ruth painted the two standing figures—Saints Matthew and John—while I painted the seated figures—Saints Mark and Luke. I was both honored and challenged by the scale of the project. The four icons were especially large—each measuring 4 by 7.5 feet. Because wooden panels of that size would have been prohibitively expensive and difficult to work with, I opted for a more contemporary yet durable solution.

We used Alupanel, a lightweight aluminum composite often used for signage, which provided a smooth and stable surface for this sacred art. We painted the icons using high-quality acrylics and finished them with traditional gold leaf, attempting to preserve the luminous, transcendent quality so central to iconography. Though the materials were non-traditional, the process was still rooted in reverence and care, and the final results were warmly received by the parish community.

Today, the complete set of four Evangelist icons is on permanent display at Christ the King Catholic Church, where they serve as both visual theology and sources of inspiration for worshippers.

THE MADONNA & CHILD PAINTING

This painting is my personal interpretation of a Madonna and Child by the Renaissance master Ludovico Carracci, whose devotional works have inspired artists and believers for centuries. Drawn to the tender intimacy and quiet strength in Carracci’s original, I sought to honor his vision while bringing my own voice and technique to the piece.

I created this work using acrylic paint on canvas, incorporating gold leaf to evoke the luminous, sacred quality often found in traditional religious art. The shimmering gold accents are meant to lift the viewer’s gaze and highlight the spiritual significance of the subject. The original piece measures 12" x 24" and has been faithfully reproduced as a museum-quality archival print.

Printed on German etching paper to preserve the texture and richness of the original, each unframed print is available for purchase and ready to be displayed as a beautiful and timeless expression of faith.

HOLY, HOLY, HOLY