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The Rev. Dr. James D. Curtis
My entry in this Exhibition is "The
Two Mary's: Mary when Jesus was born and Mary when Jesus died." The approach
used was "Spiritual Watercolor Veiling," an approach in which the artist applies
18 - 20 light washes of only 4 colors, letting each one dry before the next one
is applied. At that point, the artist looks for what he is painting, having had
no topic or vision in mind at the beginning of the process. I realized that I
was painting Mary, in fact, two Mary's! I had just finished offering a class on
Henry Nouwen's book, "Jesus and Mary: finding our sacred center." The book had
deeply affected me and gave me a fresh and deep interest in Mary. It was not
surprising, then, that I was unconsciously painting Mary. I applied at
least 30 more washes, letting each one dry, until the painting was complete and
these two dimensions of the mother of Jesus were evident.
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I have been painting for the past
15 years, having taken a watercolor course offered in my former parish, Grace
Church, Chattanooga, TN. I paint only in watercolors and water media. I have
been in numerous workshops but have never had formal training.
For the past 6 Springs, I have been Chaplain to the Kanuga Watercolor Conference
of 200 artists and 15 instructors from this and other countries.
For the 2004-2005 academic year, I received a fellowship as a Procter Scholar to
the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, MA, and served there as Artist in
Residence.
I have had solo invitational shows in Cambridge, MA, New York City, Atlanta, Ga,
Memphis, TN, and Washington, D.C. I have paintings in residences and businesses
throughout this country and abroad.
I now see that my ministry and vocation are to be a watercolorist, and I am
currently preparing for two new shows in Atlanta. The focus of my art and my
passion is Spirituality and the Visual Arts.
The Rev. Dr. James D. Curtis
Email:
jcurtis3@bellsouth.net
Parish: St. Bartholomew's Church, Atlanta, Georgia |
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