From my mouth to God's ear - Completed 05/31/07
This painting took me 2 1/2 weeks to complete.




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Dimensions: 216" x 48"
Medium: Acrylic and Oil Pastel on Terra Cloth Canvas, suspended by foamcore on 4 Photograher C Stands

This painting is an interpretation of this common phrase focusing on "my mouth" and "God’s ears."

The left side of the canvas is me. I have called God many times in my life (AKA praying); sometimes hysterically, other times out of appreciation, asking him many questions:
- "Why did you take my brother Robert from me?"
- "Why couldn't Ceally pull through? She was only 19."
- "Why did you let those boys hurt me?"
- "What the hell happened with my calls for internal peace?"

I have also called with gratitude, "Thank you for my health."

With all of my calls to God I wondered how he could get any work done?

The phones represent calls from the grave: the nightmares of those who have passed that I miss. The shamrocks represent my respect for St. Patrick’s chapel in which the work was first exhibited. The lines from the phones demonstrate the individual messages that I am calling God about.

The center of the painting is the bottleneck. Due to the high volume of calls God gets everyday, the lines all get crossed and everyone is funneled into a queue. We are all waiting impatiently for God to answer our calls!

The right side of the painting shows God at his desk, with a day job, just like every one of us. At his slow and steady pace he answers our calls (and prayers) one at a time. He does not have voicemail, call waiting, or email. God keeps his life simple (K.I.S.S.). Many people don't have the patience for God to answer their prayers so they hang up. You have to remain patient for God to answer your thoughts and prayers. The garbage can beside God is empty because he does not make mistakes. The letter he is writing will become an answered prayer. Once signed, the letter is placed in the blessed Out Box which converts itself into the prayer that is sent to us.

The subtext of the painting expresses how I am called on to act as God to my family and friends when they are in trouble. Just like the God figure in the painting, I can only answer one call at a time. However, I do have the voicemail, call waiting, and email to also deal with. My cats, Jpeg and Modem, are always around while I ponder all that is asked of me.

I realize that God has put me through these trials to test my faith. Although the pain at times has been immeasurable, I now understand that without those tests I would not be that man I am. God will only put as much pressure on me that I can handle.