St. Faustina:
Painting Image of Divine Mercy
by Kevin Pawlowski, Paradise Found Studio
When Polish nun St. Faustina Kowalska recorded her mystical visions of Jesus Christ in the early 1930s, she could not have imagined the global movement that would spring from her writings.
Known as the Apostle of Divine Mercy, her testimony inspired one of the most recognizable religious images in the modern world—the Image of Divine Mercy, first painted by Eugeniusz Kazimirowski in 1934.
Now, nearly a century later, I did my best to reinterpret this sacred vision for today’s faithful in my oil painting Faustina’s Vision (2024). This is intended to be both a tribute to St. Faustina’s enduring legacy and an invitation for viewers to contemplate mercy, grace, and forgiveness in their own lives.
The Legacy of St. Faustina Kowalska
St. Faustina was born in 1905 in Poland to a poor but devout family. From her earliest years, she felt a strong call to religious life and eventually entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. It was during her time in the convent that she began to experience extraordinary mystical visions of Jesus Christ.
In 1931, she recorded a profound encounter where Jesus appeared clothed in white, with one hand raised in blessing and the other pointing to His heart. From His heart flowed two radiant streams—one red, symbolizing His blood, and one white, symbolizing the water of baptism and purity. Jesus instructed her to share this vision with the world, commissioning the creation of a painting that would become the foundation of the Divine Mercy devotion.
St. Faustina spent the remainder of her short life (she died in 1938 at just 33 years old) spreading this message. Her diary, later published as Divine Mercy in My Soul, remains one of the most influential spiritual works of the 20th century. Canonized in 2000 by Pope John Paul II, St. Faustina’s mission continues to inspire millions of Catholics worldwide who pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet and venerate the Divine Mercy image.
St. Faustina Kowalska
Original Image of the Divine Mercy, painted under the guidance of St. Faustina, by Eugeniusz Kazimirowski in 1934.
“Faustina’s Vision” oil painting by Kevin Pawlowski (2024)
Reimagining Faustina’s Sacred Vision
I try to approach each canvas with reverence, balancing techniques with spiritual intention. For Faustina’s Vision, the process began with extensive research into both St. Faustina’s writings and Kazimirowski’s original painting. I studied the nuances of Christ’s gesture, the theological meaning of the rays, and the devotional expectations of viewers who hold the Divine Mercy image close to their hearts.
Yet, rather than replicate, I sought to reinterpret. The result is a balance of realism and abstraction: close up, one sees my hand in visible strokes (and literally); from a distance, the image resolves into a luminous vision. This duality mirrors the mystery of Divine Mercy itself — both intimate and infinite, personal and universal.
Compiling References
My goal was to represent the Image of Divine Mercy as realistic as possible, given the otherworldly quality of the rays of light emitting from Christ’s heart. Yes, not something you see in nature, but I still wanted the colors, reflections, and shadows to feel grounded.
For reference, I sewed linen together to resemble Christ’s robes, and attached LED lights inside. From there it was trial and error to get just the right gesture and light. The final reference was actually several photos assembled in Photoshop.
Drawing & Underpainting
From the reference, I drew directly on the canvas with raw umber and bristle brushes. To get some of the highlights, I actually wiped away paint with solvent to expose the canvas underneath.
My technique here was very different than my normal painting process. Rather than cover over the underpainting, I built up the image and colors with transparent paint layers. Some of the scratchy strokes of the initial drawing still peeks through the final painting in places.
Hundreds of Layers of Glazing
The colors and values were built from hundreds of transparent layers of paint using the techniqes glazing and scumbling. Glazing is mixing paint with oil for a transparent layer, and scumbling is similar, but includes a little white or another opaque pigment to create a semi-opaque layer.
The image actually started as monochromatic (grisaille), and the colors were built up from that base. This is a common techique of the old masters, which have those paintings a warm glow.
The light rays were added using a dry brush technique. Note the prisimatic colors toward the bottom, which is not in the original image, but made visual sense to me.
A Modern Lens on Timeless Devotion
St. Faustina once wrote in her diary: “The greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to My mercy.” That radical message of hope and forgiveness continues to echo nearly a century later.
With “Faustina’s Vision”, hopefully I went beyond honoring the Polish saint’s legacy, and also brought the Divine Mercy message into the present day, inviting you to reflect, pray, and trust. Whether displayed in a home, church, or gallery, the Image of Divine Mercy stands as a luminous reminder of God’s unending compassion — a vision first entrusted to a humble nun.