Artist Statement

How does the Great Healer succor the wounded, the oppressed, the broken, and the abused?
With boundless empathy. With compassion that does not waver.

Having endured all in the Garden of Gethsemane, His heart breaks with ours.
His sorrow has been carved into depths we cannot fathom.

In this painting, as He holds and weeps with this child, His deep and abiding love becomes a shelter—
bringing relief, comfort, safety, and peace.
In His embrace, damage and darkness begin to turn toward heaven’s healing light.

The Story Behind The Painting

This painting came into being after a long and heart-breaking conversation with a dear friend.  Grief and tears spilled out of her as she shared her experiences of abuse as a child.
I mourned with her, and for her, as I listened.

Her story joined the cry of the many I have heard. Each shared with me is only a small fraction of the many wounded in this world. Sometimes the sorrow and heaviness threaten to overtake me.

I turn to God.

This time, my prayer led me into my studio, where the inspiration for this painting unfolded: a small attempt to hold the weight of suffering while pointing toward the One who heals it.