After four months of research, reference preparation, and finally painting, I completed my portrait of Saint Maximilian Kolbe on his feast day, August 14, 2023. This post is an inside look at my process. I can’t say for sure it is typical, but I know from talking to other artists that it isn’t unusual.

Discussion of the symbols incorporated in the original painting of St. Maximillian Kolbe, and what they can teach us about his life and tragic death in Auschwitz.

There are four sets of mysteries in the Rosary: the Joyful Mysteries, the Luminous Mysteries, the Sorrowful Mysteries, and the Glorious Mysteries. Each set of mysteries reflects on different aspects of the lives of Mary and Jesus Christ. Let's explore each set of mysteries and their significance…

As a Catholic catechist, teaching the rosary to children can be a rewarding experience that helps them develop a deeper connection with their faith. To help you in this endeavor, we have compiled nine tips that can assist you in effectively teaching the rosary to children. These tips range from understanding the significance of the rosary to incorporating interactive elements in your teaching to make it engaging for children. By following these tips, you can make the experience of learning the rosary both enjoyable and meaningful for the children in your care.

Visio Divina is a contemplative practice that involves praying with the "eyes of your heart" through the visual medium. In this article, we will explore the concept of Visio Divina and how it can deepen your prayer life and overall faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Visual and active teaching techniques play an important role in Catholic catechism classrooms. Incorporating activities, coloring, and drawing into the catechism lessons, creating a multi-sensory learning experience that helps students to better understand and internalize the teachings of the Catholic faith.

The Holy Rosary is a revered prayer in the Catholic Church that has been recited for centuries. Its origins date back to the early days of Christianity and it has evolved over time to become one of the most popular devotions in the world. In this article, we will explore the history of the Holy Rosary and how it has developed over time.

The Rosary is divided into four sets of Mysteries, each containing five events, which are meditated upon while reciting a set of prayers. In this article, we will explore how to organize the praying of the Rosary and Mysteries by the days of the week.

During his papacy, Saint John Paul II emphasized the importance of the Holy Rosary as a powerful tool for personal and communal prayer. In his Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae, he urged the faithful to rediscover the beauty and power of this ancient prayer form.

The beauty of the Holy Rosary as a teaching tool is it sneaks in repetition, a powerful teaching method (those nuns did know their stuff after all!), visualization, and physical activity…

When you watch the video (the 1st of videos linked below), you’ll see me struggle with the question. I want to believe the legends of St. Patrick, but I have trouble bringing myself to do it…

I decided to create a 2-page comic on a given saint every week of Lent. Keep in mind I’m a pretty busy guy, managing an online art studio, a day job marketing industrial chemicals, and the spare moment with my family…

There comes a time in every project where you have to wrap up the planning and get started. Any creative person, whether artist or writer, I have ever talked to has been able to relate to the terror of facing down a blank sheet, canvas, or in this case plywood.

Every journey has a beginning, and this post takes you through the initial steps of planning the San Damiano Crucifix mosaic, starting with the research into the original.

I like to create fast artwork. My watercolor engravings tend to take 2-3 hours from start to finish. When oil painting, I prefer to knock out a canvas in 1 or 2 weekends. It might be because I’m busy and tired from my day job marketing industrial chemicals. Most likely, though, it has more to do with my attention span. So how I got involved with a 30” wide mosaic, covered with over 6,000 tiles (by my best estimate), taking 6-weeks, and over 100 hours is anyone’s guess.

When examining Leonardo’s life, a comparison with his contemporary, Michelangelo Buonarroti, is almost inevitable. The contrasts are fascinating to consider. Leonardo was hyper-analytical and a perfectionist, so left artwork unfinished and spent decades working on his masterpieces like the “Mona Lisa”. Michelangelo, on the other hand, was very prolific, finishing “Pietà” and “David” in his early twenties, and continuing to be very productive throughout his life.

A few months ago, after I “boosted” a Facebook post to reach a broader audience, I was challenged by someone claiming Paradise Found Studio promotes idolatry. It was respectfully written, so I took it as a sincere concern for my soul and those of my patrons. Looking at this site, it isn’t hard to guess where I fall on the topic. I struggled on whether or not I should respond, or just delete the post. I decided to delete, which I’m not sure what the right thing to do. What follows is my response for all to read…

As you might expect, there is a story behind my store name Paradise Found Studio, and the stunning logo featuring the Archangel Michael. It all started early 2014 at an antique store along the historic Route 66 in Amarillo, TX. I walked by a tattered antique copy of Milton’s Paradise Lost that was in too bad of shape to be worth anything, so it was tied with twine to make a decorative piece.

The great Saint John Paul II stated in his 1999 "Letter to Artists":

" ...you have admired the work of your inspiration, sensing in it some echo of the mystery of creation with which God, the sole creator of all things, has wished in some way to associate you. "

He is talking to you, me and all artists. We have a responsibility, a vocation really, to make the best use our talents to bring people closer to God's glory. The mission of Paradise Found Studio LLC is to facilitate this with a website that brings together all types of beautiful and inspirational Christian and spiritual art.