View at full size.

OK… I am not sure what to make of this one. My intent starting out was to do a more lite hearted fantasy image. But as it developed it took on a darker tone. The idea of spiritual desperation began to emerge… but then developed into something that more closely represented spiritual isolation. She is trapped and isolated, desolate. The city in the lower right is visible and inviting and she looks like she might want to be there but is unable to go there. In a sense she has chosen and has accepted her isolation and is resigned to it. Obviously were she has chosen to be is not a good place. It is shrouded in smoke and embers, strewn with chains, and enclosed by a fence. We all need to be in fellowship and supported by others… to do otherwise is unhealthy. When you remove a coal from the fire it quickly dies.

Scripture: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.”

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” John 1: 1-7

View at full size.

Many of us find ourselves in a spiritual desert from time to time. This piece came about after a conversation with a friend of mine who was struggling. He was not in a the desert so to speak, but he was a bit overwhelmed and frustrated with his responsibilities as a husband and father and he was sharing those feelings with me. So this images genesis was that conversation and then it took on a life of its own – more based on my spiritual struggles and frustration than his. The desert is a tough place to be… there used to be water there but now there is nothing but warfare and thirst and our legs and progress are mired in hip deep quick sand. All we can do is cry out and seek freedom and revelation.

Scripture: “Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD; may your love and your truth always protect me. For troubles without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails within me. Be pleased, O LORD, to save me; O LORD, come quickly to help me.” Psalm 40: 11-13

This image was another exercise in adjustment layers… putting into practice what I learned while doing The Compromised Church. My initial idea was to use brush stroked lines, another technique I have been experimenting with, to simulate tentacles or vines ensnaring the figure. I threw that idea out as the desert imagery took shape. They just were not needed.

View at full size.

This is a commercial piece designed as a magazine cover or the cover page for an article. It could also be used for projection if desired. This image is based on the idea that many churches today have been compromised and are thus unbiblical. They represent a real danger to people who are seeking and may not be able to discern what is good teaching from bad… what is truth and what has been adulterated.

Initially it was titled “The Modern Church” but it seemed that it might be an image used for an article by a secular publication with an anti-church bent. That made sense as the image seems to have a ‘cult of personality’ feel. The person, presumably the pastor, is sinister somehow. He is charismatic and inviting… seemingly powerful… but the unnaturally bright blue eyes are disturbing and the storm in the background makes one pause. Because I wanted the image to come from a Christian context, not a secular one, I switched the title and the whole thing popped.

I did a lot of experimenting with ‘New Adjustment Layers’ in Photoshop for this piece. That was the whole point really. It began as an exercise and then built into a finished piece quit by surprise. All the parts of the image are free stock files grabbed from various locations.

These are custom labels that I created for the board game Pandemic. They are designed for round petri dishes or some sort of round glass container that I will use to hold the pieces for the game. Each label represents an actual disease, though I can only remember ebola which is the black label. I still have not found the right container and I hope to get lucky at the flea markets/yard sales this summer.

300×250 Rollover Ad – View Interactive Ad

728×90 Rollover Ad – View Interactive Ad

I was tasked with creating MassLive.com Money for a trade show promotion. I created bills for each Account Executive in the company. The trick was to make bills that were fun but not cheesy. I tried for a high tech feel but not cold. I traced the faces in illustrator and imported various vector files into PhotoShop to create the bills. For the most part I am happy with the way the bills came out. They printed beautifully – the paper stock was a perfect choice – and the sales promotion was a success.