St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, Jamaica Plain, Oil on Canvas, 16″ x 20″ ©Michelle Arnold Paine
The completed painting for Saint Thomas Aquinas Parish in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts is now finished. I worked on this painting through the spring of 2010 and finally finished in July. I love being able to share my love for church architecture with a living community. The painting has been printed into notecards for sale for the benefit of the parish. The Gothic Revival church of St. Thomas Aquinas parish was begun in 1869. You can read more about the history of the parish and its beautiful church on the website of the Jamaica Plain Historical Society.
I made a drawing while working on the painting, to better understand how the light moves through the space. Click here to see the painting in progress from a past blog entry.
St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, Jamaica Plain, Ink on Matboard, 5″ x 7″ ©Michelle Arnold Paine
Architecture and landscape tell the stories of the people who live, work, and worship there, and I seek out the opportunity to tell those stories visually. It can be a priceless gift to commission or purchase a unique artwork which tells the story of a significant community for many individuals. A person’s sacramental history – Baptism, Confirmation, and Marriage – can be such important milestones in a person’s life. You can view another church commission project on a previous blog post.
