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Saint Cecilia

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Tota Pulchra Es

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Salve Maria Regina

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"Read About Me" Series

A series on the story, meaning, and symbolism behind each piece

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Terror of Demons & Protectress of Humanity

With the ever-rising crisis in the world of true fatherhood and motherhood, and the growing confusion of what masculinity and femininity...

Ordination

In June of 2022, Bishop Emeritus Thomas Olmsted of the Diocese of Phoenix ordained several men to the priesthood at Ss. Simon and Jude...

The Holy Family

This painting of the Holy Family captures a serene yet dignified moment in the life and union of Mary, St. Joseph, and the Child Jesus....

Voilà ce Cœur

This painting, inspired by traditional images of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and by the messages of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, depicts Our...

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@aveentomaart

Here she is! This drawing is a sketch for the future painting of this image. It is a depiction of the Virgin Mary inspired by the hymn “Tota Pulchra”- a Marian hymn of a 4th century text, which was itself inspired by the Song of Songs 4:7. The ancient hymn and its corresponding Scripture verse read as follows, with the translations:
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Tota pulchra es, Maria. Et macula originalis non est in Te. Tu gloria Ierusalem. Tu laetitia Israel. Tu honorificentia populi nostri. Tu advocata peccatorum. O Maria, O Maria. Virgo prudentissima. Mater clementissima. Ora pro nobis. Intercede pro nobis. Ad Dominum Iesum Christum.
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You are all beautiful, Mary, and the original stain (of sin) is not in you. You are the glory of Jerusalem, you are the joy of Israel, you give honor to our people. You are the advocate of sinners. O Mary, O Mary, Virgin most prudent, Mother most merciful. Pray for us, Plead for us, To the Lord Jesus Christ.
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“Tota pulchra est amica mea et macula non est in te.” // “Thou art all fair, O my love, and there is not a stain in thee.” (Sg 4:7)
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This Old Testament verse has unanimously been understood as referring to Mary; and so, throughout history, images of Our Lady have been illustrated under the title, “Tota Pulchra.” Customarily, this title also coincides with her title “The Immaculate Conception.” This drawing, however, not only visibly illustrates this Marian hymn, but simultaneously depicts the Marian Dogmas with it. Like the traditional hymn, this drawing serves as a visual- rather than an audible- means of honoring Our Lady by highlighting her purity and beauty, her role in salvation history, and her intimacy with the Three Persons of the Trinity.
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I’ve actually had this idea and image in mind for 3 years (!!), so it’s so nice to actually have it drawn out on paper now 😅
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Tota Pulchra Es
graphite on paper
11x14in
2025
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Happy Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception 🤍
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#immaculateconception #feastoftheimmaculateconception #totapulchra #totapulchraesmaria #graphiteart #graphite #graphitedrawing #pencildrawing #graphitepencil #sketch #pencilsketch #graphitesketch #sacredart #virginmary #ourlady #theotokos #artist #art
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AMDG

Last week, I had a lovely morning with the Lady’s Guild at Our Lady of Joy (@olojcarefree) as their guest speaker for this month ⭐️ I put up a little art show for them with a few originals as well as some prints 🖼
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It was wonderful getting to speak to the ladies about myself and my sacred art journey from college up until my most recent work, as well as the stories behind several of the pieces I had on display.
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It was also Cecilia’s first public appearance 🙃 haha
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#artshow #artshowcase #artondisplay #fineart #sacredart #artpresentation #oilpaintings #artwork #art #artworks #sacredartist #visualtheology #artist #artistoninstagram #artistic
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AMDG

With her feast day tomorrow, here is the story of St. Cecilia and the explanation of my painting :)
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She is actually my patron saint! But I didn’t choose her 👀 Make sure to check out the post to read that story. I’d love to know who your patron saint is- leave a comment below!👇🏻
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St. Cecilia, pray for us 💗
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#stcecilia #saintcecilia #sanctacaecilia #sacredart #sacredartist #oilpainting #oilpaintingoncanvas #oilpaint #oilpaintingart #patronsaint #patronsaints #sacredmusic #patronsaintofmusic #trastevere #romanmartyrs #virginandmartyr #martyr #martyrdom #isleofwight #benedictinenuns
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AMDG

Tota pulchra est amica mea et macula non est in te
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Thou art all fair, O my love, and there is not a stain in thee.
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Song of Songs 4:7
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#graphitepencil #graphiteart #graphitesketch #graphite #graphitedrawing #pencil #pencilsketch #pencildrawing #drawing #pencilillustration #graphiteillustration #totapulchra #totapulchraesmaria #thevirginmary #mothermary #blessedmary #maryevervirgin #sacredart #ourlady
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AMDG

Here she is! 😇🎼 I’m so excited to share my finished painting of St. Cecilia that I completed two months ago! I’ve always wanted to create my own painting for St. Cecilia, as she’s my patron saint, so this piece has been a long one coming 🙃 I will share more of the story and symbolism behind the painting closer to her feast day in November…
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But for now, I will say that the two main pieces of inspiration that this painting is based on is a copper relief plaque of St. Cecilia that I’ve had since I was little, as well as the famous marble sculpture of her by Stefano Maderno (1600) in Rome... Swipe to the end to see a sneak peek ✨
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Saint Cecilia
oil on canvas
30 x 24 in
2025
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#oilpainting #oilpaintingoncanvas #oilpaintings #oilpaint #oilpainter #oiloncanvas #oiloncanvaspainting #oilpaintingsoncanvas #painting #saintcecilia #stcecilia #sanctacaecilia #catholicsaints #patronsaints #patronsaint #sacredart #sacredartist #sacredmusic #martyr #earlychurch #romanchurch #romancatholicchurch
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AMDG

It’s been a bit quiet over here, but I promise I’m still here and art is still being made 😂
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A couple weeks ago, I wrote my first proper icon!! The 3-day Iconography Retreat/Workshop was led by local iconographer, Brenda Fox (@iconsbybrenda), and was hosted at the beautiful Sacred Art Gallery in Mesa (@thesacredartgallery) ✨ Over the course of three days, our group learned how to write an icon of St. Francis of Assisi.
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We used acrylic paint and real gold leaf, and it took quite a bit of patience applying layer after layer of paint to increase the opacity, and lots of meticulous details, such as the thin outlining and lettering. Though very different from painting with oils, I really enjoyed the work and process 😊
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In iconography, you always begin with the darkest colors and gradually apply the lighter colors: symbolizing how man was created out of nothing/darkness- from the dust of the earth- but is gradually sanctified by the Light of Christ. In this way, it appears as if light is emanating from the saint’s face and clothing, and you can see how the icon begins to glow and come to life.
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Swipe to the end to see what the process looked like ➡️
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#iconography #icon #icons #writingicons #easterniconography #theologyoficons #sacredart #sacredartist #stfrancisofassisi #catholicart #catholicsaints #catholicsaint #goldleaf #acrylicpaint #byzantine #byzantineiconography #byzantineicon #byzantineicons #byzantinestyleicon
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AMDG

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of giving a Sacred Art presentation and leading a Paint & Sip activity for young adults in the Phoenix community 🤗🎨✨
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The theme of the talk was an introduction to Sacred Art- we talked about what sacred art is, its significance, looked at some examples, and touched on different styles/time periods of sacred art (such as the Gothic, Baroque, and Eastern iconography).
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I also spoke about the nature and beauty of sacred number and geometry- how various numbers and their respective shapes can actually signify something theological. A fascinating topic!
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Lastly, we looked at saint iconography in trying to understand how various saints are depicted in art and how to identify them based on objects they are holding, what they are wearing, etc. (I also showed my recent painting of Saint Cecilia for the first time in the presentation!).
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Following the talk, everyone then had the chance to create their own piece of sacred art! 🖼 Each person chose a feast day in the month of September and had to depict that saint or feast using what they had learned in the presentation- making sure to use symbols/colors/objects that signified and connected to that saint, as well as incorporating some aspect of sacred number or geometry, either in the composition of the piece or in how many of something…
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Everybody worked so hard and intentionally, and, in the end, everyone’s painting turned out different, and they were all so unique and beautiful! 😍
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Thank you to all who attended and helped organize this event! It was so much fun for everyone, and I love getting to teach about sacred art and seeing how each person uniquely and creatively creates their own piece at the end.
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If you are interested in hosting something like this for a special event- or just for fun- and have any ideas for a sacred art theme, feel free to reach out to set something up! ✨
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#sacredart #sacredartist #artpresentation #arttalk #paintandsipparty #paintandsip #paintandsipevents #artevent #artevents #dioceseofphoenix #phoenixyoungadults #youngadults #artcommunity #youngadultcommunity #paintingevents #paintingevent
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AMDG

Did you notice that the rosary in this drawing is actually a part of Mary? Read why👇🏻
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This drawing was commissioned as a wedding gift for a couple, and encircling the composition is a rosary- one of their devotions. The rosary begins with the Crucifix prominently illustrated right at the center of the entire drawing, showcasing how Christ ought to be the center of our lives, and from Whom all things come and to Whom all things return.
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The Crucifix is also intentionally placed right over the womb of Mary, while at the same time lying safely on her lap and nestled under the protection of her mantle- it is the same place in which the Baby Jesus was conceived and grew, and upon whose lap He sat as a Child. But now, the dead body of her Son is once more placed in her lap- a subtle allusion to the Pietà, when Jesus was taken down from the Cross and given to His mother. The miniature Crucifix dangling from the rosary is once again safely under Mary’s care.
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At the same time, Our Lady is gently presenting the viewer with the reality and importance of praying the Rosary. Even in the apparitions at Lourdes, Mary prays the doxology of the rosary with Bernadette, which confirms the theocentric nature of the rosary. That theocentric reality is artistically illustrated by having Christ at the center of the composition.
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Additionally, the first and second Our Father beads, and the three Hail Mary beads, are meticulously placed so as to also serve as an ornamentation on Mary’s mantle and crown. In this way, it is as if the prayers of the Rosary contain, or are part of, Mary herself; this is clearly evident in that the Mysteries of the Rosary are meditations on the life of Christ through Our Lady- just as the rosary chain in this illustration goes through Mary.
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Happy Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary 🌹🤍
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Salve Maria Regina
graphite on bristol paper
16 x 20 in
2025
commission
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#ourladyoftherosary #rosary #therosary #feastoftheholyrosary #praytherosary #praytherosaryeveryday #ourlady #catholicdevotions #mariandevotion #pencildrawing #graphitedrawing #graphitepencil #pencilart #graphiteart
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AMDG

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Terror of Demons & Protectress of Humanity

Ordination

The Holy Family

Voilà ce Cœur

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