What is a Painting of Prayer: Depicting the Invisible

I paint pictures of "unconditional love" and prayer.
When I say that, I am sometimes asked,
"Are they religious paintings?"
But for me, prayer
does not refer to any specific religion.

It is something quieter, more personal,
residing deep within the heart.

When we are sad,
when we are in pain,
when we carry feelings that cannot be put into words,
don't we naturally turn to prayer?

When we wish for someone's happiness,
when we pray for the safety of a loved one,
or when we feel as though we are losing sight of ourselves.

I believe that prayer
is a very quiet, yet profound,
act of the soul.

The figures I paint
might look like beings that transcend reality.
But that is not because I am depicting beings from a distant world,
but because I am depicting the form of the "praying heart"
that exists within people.

An expression with eyes closed,
a quiet movement of the hands,
a faint presence of light.

What resides there
are unspoken thoughts.

The time I spend painting
is also a time of prayer for me.
As I layer each brushstroke,
I quietly compose my heart.

What is born in that process
is not just a shape,
but something that feels as though it harbors something invisible to the eye.

That is why I value
the time poured into the work
and the quiet thoughts that flowed through it
more than the finished piece itself.

A painting of prayer
is not meant to explain anything.

It is simply something that exists there.

And it is something that quietly resonates
with the prayer that exists within each viewer.

If, through my work,
you were able to touch something within yourself,
that is my greatest joy.