Tag: Bible Art

Bible art / Bar Mitzvah gift ideas - Original Jewish art - Parshat Teruma - a painting showing the bringing of gifts for the MishkanWhy Bible Art?

I make my Bible art in a world where the mainstream art world is often so very distant from any considerations of beauty or spirituality. Making Biblical artwork began, for me, as a very personal artistic and spiritual exercise. It eventually developed into an educational project, and now, it seems, is slowly returning to its source as a more spiritual and artistic endeavour, trying to engender connections with underlying meanings in the Bible.

Use of Colour in my Biblical Paintings

Colour is key in my Bible art prints. I use a lot of bright colours but my mainstay is cerulean blue in various levels of saturation. These blues symbolise the sky, the sea and the Eternal. It is for me the most spiritual colour, and thus the most hopeful and the most joyous. Counterbalancing that, I often use orange and reddish hues. These symbolise the earth, the desert, the Sinai itself; the very place from where the Bible originates. Oranges and reds are the colours of fire, of power, of authority, and of the harsh realities of this earthly life. Our task in life is to bridge between the ethereal blues and the burning oranges, and for that we have all the colours in between!

The Spiritual Significance of Colour

Some theoreticians and artists have written on the deeper meaning of colour. Of particular note are: Vassily Kandinsky, Margarethe Hauschka, and Rudolf Steiner. (Personally I do find them interesting, but it’s really important not to take them too seriously!)

7 October: Sketching the Unsketchable

7 October massacre by Hamas: artwork sketch of a terrorist running with a gun

7 October in Israel was a nightmare made real. And the nightmare continues, on both sides of the fence. I can’t let this period pass without some kind of reference to it here. So: A few thoughts about the unthinkable and sketches about the unsketchable. Thoughts Enough is being written about the politics and machinations […]

Elijah Ascending to Heaven – a commissioned painting

Elijah Ascending to Heaven - Biblical art

2 Kings 2: As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven. Elisha saw it and cried out, “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen! יא וַיְהִי, […]

Beit El: Heaven and Earth

angels ascending and descending, in the dream of Jacob's ladder

A new visual presentation at the visitor’s centre at Beit El in Samaria will be using my Jacob’s Ladder painting, among works by many other artists, including several very famous ones, I think. I’ll post pictures, and maybe video, of the actual thing when they have the opening (not sure when that’ll be)! Beit El […]

Jacob’s Ladder

Jacob's Ladder (detail): A painting by Darius Gilmont showing angels ascending and descending.

Between Heaven and Earth I made this painting a couple of years ago, shortly after finishing the Daniel painting. Inspired by the angel from that project, I wanted to experiment a bit more with angels, which is a difficult subject. The story of Jacob’s Ladder is about the bridge between heaven and earth so in […]

Painting the Bible: Approaches to Biblical art that inspire me

Biblical Art, Ethiopian Religious Art, Winged Faces on Church Ceiling

Artists have for centuries painted their visions of the Bible. Adorning churches and manuscripts across the world, Biblical artists have created powerful visual embodiments of the Scriptures, and in so doing have represented the collective consciousness of mankind. Biblical art has mostly been the preserve of Christendom, while Jewish lore forbade figurative art. Judaic religious […]

On the theme of Daniel: Experimenting with different colours and forms

Contemporary Biblical Painting, Daniel in the Lions' Den, Contemporary Biblical Art

This is a contemporary Biblical painting on the theme of Daniel in the Lions’ Den. It is acrylic on canvas, with applied gold leaf, and measures 80cm x 80cm. The angels are depicted as ethereal globules of colour, but I’m not too happy with this treatment. Considering making some changes – I’ll post an update […]

Prophet and Cat

ceramic Biblical art, Jewish art, ancient patriarch and cat

Ceramic Biblical Art I really enjoyed making this piece of ceramic Biblical art; a whimsical depiction of a prophet with his cat! For the discerning collector of high-performance Biblical prophets and cats, this must be the sculpture for you! I made it in terracotta clay, firing it with an engobe (matt-finish) glaze. Later I added […]

New Promised Land

The artist with his finished canvas: Entering the Promised Land (II)

After 40 years of wandering in the desert, the people of Israel are finally entering the Promised Land! This is a newly-commissioned painting based on an earlier version of this scene. I’ve just finished varnishing it and am soon to send it to its new home. The Judaean hills, covered in ancient goat-trails, provided the […]

New Children’s Bible

The new Children’s Bible from Westminster John Knox Press (WJK) is now out. A beautifully designed, new children’s Bible, featuring several of my illustrations (with lots of great work by other artists). It’s a truly engaging and thought-provoking introduction to the Bible and issues of faith for Christian children everywhere. Highly recommended! From the publisher’s website: […]

Noah – Biblical relief sculpture

Biblical relief sculpture showing Noah and the Dove.

This Biblical relief sculpture, Noah and the Dove, is made of a light-coloured clay (called Yellow Terrazzo), with an inlay of smoked glass. Many of the elements are finished with acrylic paint. (See my post from September, showing how it was made).The design is simple, primitive, direct and, I hope, powerful. The motif of the […]