A little something to help get you through Lent! I have in my hot hands a copy of The Catholic Home Gallery: Eighteen Works of Art by Contemporary Catholic Artists, and Ignatius Press is giving me a second copy to give away! I’ll put details for how to enter at the end of the post.
Guys, the book is gor-ge-ous, and it’s more than a book: It’s designed so you can pull the prints out and hang them on your wall. Wonderful idea.
Here’s the back cover, showing thumbnails of all the prints:
Here’s a little preview flip book, so you can see how it’s set up. I was actually astonished that this book is listed at $26.96. That’s a sale price, but the full price of $29.95 is also an excellent deal. I can’t think of another place you could find eighteen high quality prints for that price. You could also keep it together as a book, if that’s what you prefer. There is a short bio for each artist; many artists have included a little statement about art, and there is an artist’s note about each print. Importantly, the book includes information about where to find more of the artist’s work, so you can follow them, and maybe support them by buying more art.
Here’s the list of the nine artists included in what I hope is the first in a series of such collections:
The book includes two pieces by each artist, with a forward by Emily Stimpson.
The other day, I talked to John Herreid, who came up with the whole idea and edited the book. He is the catalogue manager for Ignatius, and also designs many book and DVD covers for them. Herreid is an artist himself, and an art collector (as well as being my sister’s husband’s brother; I’m never sure if I’m supposed to mention that). Here’s our conversation.
Fr. Jaques Hamel by Neilson Carlin
St. Joseph Terror of Demons by Bernadette Carsensen
The Wedding at Cana by Matthew Alderman
The Immaculate Heart by Timothy Jones
Miracle of the Sun by James B. Janknegt
Servant of God Father Emil Kapaun by Elizabeth Zelasko
Mary, the Mother of Life by Michael D. O'Brien
SF: I know some people have rules about sacred art, like not combining it with secular art in the same space. Do you have any rules?
JH: I personally do not. I grew up in a house with a jumble of images, like a Padre Pio statue in a shrine made out of an old tofu press hanging on the wall.
SF: That’s the most Herreid thing I have ever heard.
JH: I do think, looking back, it’s funny that Padre Pio is Mr. Redmeat saint, and there he is in a tofu press.
Saint Padre Pio by Matthew Conner
SF: I have seen the photos you’ve been posting on social media as you’ve been hanging up the prints in your house. It’s a good tip to find high quality frames in thrift shops. Frames are expensive! Do you have other advice for people who want to incorporate more sacred art into their homes?
JH: I collect art of all kinds. I love having things on the walls. One thing I think people get too finicky about is having to be very intentional about having to set up a special sacred spot in their room. That’s great if you can do that and have the room for it, and the room is architecturally appropriate for it, but often times you may not be able to do that. In that case, you may want to just put things where they fit and gather around them for prayers.
St. Benedict by Gwyneth Thompson-Briggs
As far as collecting sacred art, antique stores are a great spot, although it’s often the more saccharine style of art. I found a great Madonna and Child, made by a great sculptor, for $8 at an estate sale. It’s huge, actually impractically huge.
I said, “No, I actually believe it.”
And he said, “Oh. O-kay . . . . . okay.”
SF: Sure, you’re the weirdo.
Is there anything else you want people to know about this book or about art in general?
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And now for the giveaway! Nice and simple. Just leave a comment on this post, and you’re entered. I will use a random number generator to choose the winner on Monday the 13th, and I will contact the winner by email. Thanks to Ignatius for sponsoring this.