Every once in a while, I learn about an artistic Christian who is so talented that I want to let everyone else know about that person as well.

     Frank Ordaz is a Christian artist I really admire. Frank is a professional illustrator who has worked for Industrial Light and Magic (George Lucas' studio) on classic films such as E.T., Return of the Jedi, and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. That in itself should tell you that Frank is one very talented man. He doesn't limit himself to art with Christian themes, but there's an entire section on his web site specifically pertaining to what Frank calls his "Gospel Art".

     My favorite image on the entire site is one which Frank calls "The Empty Tomb". That scene portrays the discovery that Jesus had risen from the dead on the very first Easter morning. Another excellent painting, entitled "Gethsemane", shows Jesus praying to the Father on the night of his arrest. What both images have in common is their very dramatic treatment of light. Frank contrasts warm colors with cool colors in a way that just makes the scenes come alive.

     Another cool image on Frank Ordaz's site is his image of "doubting Thomas", entitled "The Doubter". And then there's "ProudMan Down", Frank's painting of Saul on the road to Damascus.

     Most of Frank's images could be described as photorealistic (or very nearly so). An example would be his image entitled Paul's Bible Study. Others, such as his painting of Jesus In The Desert, are more rough and "painterly". Overall, I prefer the less painterly, more realistic style, but it's a matter of personal taste, and it's arguable that the rough painterly style better suits the subject of Jesus in the desert.

     "NightWatch" portrays a muscular angel watching over a young boy as the boy sleeps. I like to think that the angels don't stop watching over us when we get older. (I could surely use the protection of angels at this current time in my life!)

     Those are a few of my favorite Frank Ordaz paintings. You may have your own. I encourage you to explore his web site for yourself.

     In some art circles, illustrators such as Frank Ordaz are treated as if they're the poor second cousins of fine artists, who are considered much more respectable. I think that's a shame. Historically, many of the artists we now consider to be "Old Masters" were, in fact, illustrators. It's just that their illustrations didn't appear often in books, because the means of easily and affordably reproducing full-color paintings in books did not yet exist. When artists wanted to illustrate books or manuscripts, they usually did so by means of engravings, etchings or woodcuts, such as the wonderful prints produced by Albrecht Durer (a Christian whose iconic image of his poor brother's Praying Hands is a classic in every sense of the word). People such as Michelangelo illustrated buildings (such as the Sistine Chapel), not book jackets or CD covers, but they were illustrators nevertheless. Their images were clearly designed to tell stories, reinforce community values, and present clear and unambiguous messages, often in response to instructions received from patrons (such as the Church) who were paying them for their work. That flies in the face of the aesthetic which drives a good deal of modern art, which seems preoccupied with the idea that art should mostly be about itself and the internal psychodrama of the artist who created the art.

     I think there's a time and a place for nonrepresentational or abstract art, provided that it exhibits a good sense of design. However, speaking condescendingly of those who continue to do with their art what the Old Masters once did with theirs seems inappropriate to me. Whether one is talking about Maxfield Parrish, N.C. Wyeth, Norman Rockwell, Thomas Kinkade or Frank Ordaz, high quality illustration has always played an important role in our society. And frankly, a lot of illustrators possess a level of skill which puts many so-called "fine artists" to shame.

     Another Christian artist worth getting to know is John Howard Sanden. Mr. Sanden is one of the top professional portrait painters in the country. He has created two very nice portraits of Billy Graham, from life. (One of those images also depicts Franklin Graham.) There are many other excellent portrait paintings on his web site. Check them out when you get the chance.

     If you like science fiction art and/or rock music album covers from the mid to late seventies by artists such as Roger Dean (who painted many of the early album covers by the progressive group Yes), then you should check out Rodney Matthews' web site. I first learned that he was a Christian by reading the introduction to a book of his art. (The book, entitled "Last Ship Home", was published by Paper Moon.) Rodney's painting Sonrise is a beautiful depiction of Easter morning. I personally find that painting to be particularly cool because it was the illustration for a CD recorded by Rick Wakeman (the incredibly talented keyboard player for the progressive rock group Yes) after Rick became a Christian.

     Larry Van Pelt is a self-taught portrait artist whose 11x14 pencil drawings portray Jesus as a companion for people engaged in a wide variety of activities. He says that the objective of the "With You Always" project is "to help Christians everywhere visualize the reality of Jesus' presence in their lives at all times, particularly during those everyday tasks where we spend most of our time."

     What makes Larry's art particularly interesting to me is the fact that his pencil drawings exhibit a great talent for realism, yet he says (in an article entitled "The Artist's Story") that he had never done any drawing prior to receiving a call from God, at age 50, to create this series of drawings.

     Notice, please, that he isn't claiming that he miraculously woke up one day and began to create highly detailed and realistic drawings with no training or practice. He had "a few years of self study" and then "three months of training" prior to undertaking his project. But it seems clear that he undertook the project as the direct result of a strong impression which many would indeed describe as a calling from God.

     Some people who are not artistic seem to be under the mistaken impression that artistic talent is the result of factors beyond the artists' control. When they say that artists are gifted, they sometimes seem to imply that it took no conscious effort on the part of those artists to acquire or perfect their gifts. There may be rare occasions where that's the case, but more often than not, the acquisition and development of artistic talent is a partnership between God and the artist. God plays his part. We must play ours. Without a divine spark, no one would ever create art worthy of the name. Without study, hard work and discipline, the same thing is true. Artists may not deserve to be monetarily compensated for the "divine spark" given freely to them by God, but they certainly deserve to be compensated for the significant work which it has taken in order to fully develop their God-given talents.

     NOTE: In February 2007, I wrote to Larry, asking for permission to post a link to his web site on this site. He graciously responded to my message and granted me with that permission. I particularly appreciated this comment, which he made in that message: "Your web-site is very impressive, and properly keeps the focus on Jesus." Thanks, Larry. That has been my goal all along.