Good Shepherd’s Cottage

“My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me” ~ John 10:27

For an artist, God reveals His presence chiefly in the glory of His creation. I sense the divine presence in the majesty of a mountain sunset, in the hush of a tranquil glade, in the rainbow hues of a floral garden. There are also many times when the words of scripture speak directly and powerfully to me, and he images on my canvas become so pregnant with spiritual meaning it seems God literally pays a visit to my studio.

Painting The Good Shepherd’s Cottage was such an experience for me. I’d been meditating on the passage from John and on the profound symbol of Christ as the good shepherd, when I began to imagine what it might be like if the Lord returned to call in His faithful. Surely, His house would be an utterly comfortable and secure cottage, radiant with light. The time of day would be sunset, when the very air is luminous. The sound of His voice would be thrilling as He calls His sheep into a verdant meadow.

The Good Shepherd’s Cottage is an allegory in paint, a sublime tribute to Christ the Shepherd, whose figure beckons from the doorway, and the introduction to a series honoring the ineffable gift of God’s grace.