Messing with the Masterpieces

As an exercise in composition, I selected six oil masterpieces illustrating the early life of Christ. I then used these as inspirations for 11" x 14" collages created from magazine illustrations on hand. The (somewhat uneven) results are given along with the originals. The first one shown is perhaps the most successful. I especially enjoyed duplicating the tiled floor using a manipulated photomicrograph of a butterfly egg.

The Annunciation by Botticelli

The Nativity by Piero della Francesca

Adoration of the Magi by Albrecht Durer

Flight to Egypt by Adam Badowski

Slaughter of the Innocents by Leon Cogniet

Jesus with the Doctors by Gustav Dore'

"Perspective" Show

PACT (Prayer and Creativity Team) is a group of Christian artists associated with Hill Country Bible Church of Austin, Texas, where they host a series of themed art shows. For more details see http://www.pactofaustin.com/.  The next show, entitled "Perspective," has its opening reception from 7-9PM on Sept. 30.  Below are three of the recent 12" x 12" pieces I have submitted for this show.

Four-Fold (collage/acrylic)

This piece shows the traditional symbols assigned to the Four Evangelists. Each of their historical accounts presents the life and works of Jesus Christ from a different perspective, but all blend together to give us a unified picture of our Lord and Savior.

In Their Own Eyes (collage)

The Book of Judges ends with the words: “In those days there was no king in Israel; all the people did what was right in their own eyes.” As Americans who almost deify the concept of personal independence, we should realize that this statement was not one of approval by God, but a condemnation of the people's actions during that turbulent time period.

Grasshopper Men (collage/acrylic)

The warped perspective of the spies sent into Canaan caused them to characterize the inhabitants as giants and themselves as mere grasshoppers. We sometimes exaggerate the power of the enemy and do not sufficiently take into account God's power over our circumstances.

CIVA Traveling Shows

Christians in the Visual Arts (CIVA) has several traveling art shows each year. Go to civa.org for the scheduled showings. Two of my works, shown below, are featured, respectively, in the shows "Parables" and "Work: Curse or Calling?"

The Kingdom Is (2005)

Concerning the above piece, Tyrus Clutter stated, "The parable of the net is one of a series of parables in Matthew that begin 'The kingdom of God is like...'"  Jesus states that at the end of the age the 'fish' will be divided at the final judgement.David McCoy explores these parables in his mixed media assemblage, following Christ's example by placing materials from everyday life into his work. These objects--such as tiny seeds--become potent symbols, or metaphors, that encourage us to discover the eternal in the ordinary."

Sowers (2005)

Joel Zwart comments on the above piece: "Also consider the work of David McCoy's Sowers. McCoy's laborious cutting and pasting ennobles the concept of mundane work, in this case a farmer's daily occupation and an artist's cut-and-paste process. His collage yields a bird's eye view of mesmerizing activity where the eye is led to survey the panoply of vignettes. It finds kindred spirit with the paintings of Pieter Bruegel the elder, where human activity dominates the picture plane and the artist's use of aerial perspective unifies the work."