Painting Reveal! Behold and Be Held, Part 1
“I don’t have time for this,” I mumbled as our 3-year-old daughter geared up for yet another tantrum. These tantrums generally took about 10 minutes to work through. But these were 10 minutes I didn’t have.
It was 10:00 AM and I had just finished washing breakfast dishes. We had yet to do any homeschool and our youngest needed a diaper change again.
I walked over to our daughter with my own bad attitude, preparing to snap. But something shifted in me.
Heroic patience like Mary. Tenderness like Mary. Be like Mary.
So instead of griping and groaning…I reluctantly picked her up and started rocking her in a rocking chair. She didn’t argue. She just cried. I took a few deep breaths myself, and before you knew it, we were both feeling much better. We talked over the problem and said a little prayer, asking Jesus to help our hearts be like His.
And that was it.
3 minutes. Not 10.
My daughter ran off to play like nothing had happened.
All because Mom decided to show a little tenderness this go-around… (not normal, I’m ashamed to admit)
I peeked in the art room at the painting I had been working on for the past few months. A painting I had started after being inspired by the icon, “Our Lady of Tenderness.”
This is what Mary does for us… I thought.
When, in our humanity, we are like three-year-old’s, so caught up in our own suffering that we can’t see straight let alone pray straight, what does Mary do?
She tenderly picks us up and carries us straight to Our Lord. And in doing so, He is “magnified” in our own hearts.
Cranky toddlers may eventually calm down without a parent’s tenderness, but how much quicker they find peace when a mother is nearby with two arms ready to embrace!
So it is with Mary. Like a good mother, she wipes away our tears so our blurry eyes can better see Christ.
Just like a mother who tenderly embraces her children in their saddest moments and speaks to them of Christ’s love—to remind them that God is much bigger than their own hurt—so does Our Mother seek only to make Christ “bigger” in our own lives.
The Creation of this Painting…
Originally, I wanted to keep this piece fairly simple and straightforward. I knew I had a busy summer ahead of me when I started, so I really just wanted this piece to be more of a portrait-practice. (It had been several years since I’d attempted portraits with oils, Keep it simple, Haley.)
But like most paintings I’ve completed since diving into Sacred Art, God had other plans. This final piece looks so different from the original reference photo. It’s chalk-full of more symbolism than I could have ever thought of on my own. From the expressions on the faces, the halos, the color and designs on the clothing.
No, it was more than just a painting.
It was an invitation.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.”
John 19:26-27
In this painting, we see both Christ and Mary gazing at us in invitation. An invitation from Christ to take His mother as our own. An invitation from Mary to be embraced like Christ.
Lord knows I needed this reminder to imitate the Christ Child and cling to Mary. And, simultaneously, embrace my own children tenderly.
As I said, there is MUCH symbolism in this painting. I hope to share more about this painting in the near future.
Want to see this Original Painting IN PERSON?
I will be bringing it with me to the National Eucharistic Congress NEXT WEEK. Come see me in booth #1435 in the Indianapolis Convention Center. You will be able to view this newest painting, purchase some art prints, and and enter for a chance to win your own piece of sacred art.
Want to OWN this original painting?
This original 30”x40” oil painting is FOR SALE. Do you know of any churches, schools, businesses, or Catholic organizations/ministries that could use a piece of sacred art?
If so, view my “originals” gallery here for more information and reach out to me at hdessauer.art@gmail.com for more information.
Please help spread the word!
In Christ,
Haley Dessauer
Artist, This Little Fiat
**Disclaimer: I try very hard to make sure the content of my emails align with Church teaching…but I am still human and fallible (and may need occasional help from my brothers and sisters in Christ!) If you read something in one of my emails that does not align with Church teaching, please let me know! Likewise, when in doubt, seek out more information and contact your parish priest.
