Below I've collected many of the messages sent or left for me. Thank you all for sharing your hearts. It's a humbling honor.
"I finally set aside the time to go through all 15 Stations tonight and found the journey...transcendent. I was moved to tears, still am, as I write this, crying.
As a mother.
As a non-Christian.
As an empath.
As a human being.
Thank you."
"Your work never ceases to amaze me. It's like you are a vessel for
channeling the divine and the untouchable. You make the invisible visible
and just by viewing your work we touch something infinite and astounding.
I love the depth
and the rustic colors. The sky is on fire and the earth is singing in
rejoice..."
"Simply awesome! God has definitely given you a gift."
"Tis beautiful. And I am not a religious person."
"Your oilgraphy pieces of art bring to my mind some great mystic,
poet and painter, William Blake... I can feel similar mood...(especially
in the religious ones of Yours)
"FEAR AND HOPE ARE VISION""
"Breath-taking.
A true masterpiece. I
don't think I've ever seen a portrayal of Christ's passion that has moved
me so much. It's beautiful beyond words and yet immediately accessible
and credible. Thank you."
"you're going to convert me back to Christianity! this is all too
beautiful."
"Ahh so beautiful. Only you could pull this off. I don't know if
you were born to do these but they couldn't be done by anyone else. All
these together should be priceless and in a museum nest to the great painters."
"This is an excellent series! I'm at awe at your talent and comittment.
This one is especially good because its so intense with Yeshua's emotions
and thoughts. All that black ... Knowing what he was about to do for mankind
... This captures that wonderfully. I the textures and the colours are
so realistic, what stands out the most are his mouth and eye and the crown
of thorns. Brilliantly done mate"
"There is something really authentic with this series...very well
done."
"Stunning work. I've seen this image depicted so many times in my
life, but I've never seen anything like this.
Aside from being an amazing piece it's so hope-inspiring too. The darkness
of the lower half of the piece looks to me like it signifies death and
suffering but then the glowing aura of colour, and what looks like a halo
of light around Him at the top, perfectly illustrates the instant ascension
as it occurs."
"The most beautiful, and moving piece in the series for me. It hits
me like a brick to the chest everytime. Yet, despite being a death, you
manage to keep a sense of such great hope in here. "Beautiful"
seems too small a word to describe it... but it's the best I can do. Thank
you for this one... it speaks so loud to me."
"today in class we studied the Sistine Chapel. to see another one
of these from the series, i would honestly hope one day to see these in
a cathedral, they deserve such. their own chapel. these pieces strike
into the christian tradition in a way that nothing in contemporary christian
art has done as of late. they reach into the earliest representations
of catholic art, but photographically show that this tradition is not
yet gone. secularization has not killed all religiousity.
i hope that this series
will be available as a print from you. the whole collection, a package.
i would love to buy an original, hopefully not for sale, (but, thus wasting
all of my paychecks), but i think that the prints would be wonderful arrranged
in my bedroom. (i just moved into a new house and am decorating.) a reminder
of this lovely tradition."
"I think out of all of them that I have seen, (and faved, haha) this
is the most powerful to me. This is what it was all about right here.
The sufferings of Christ, for us. The image of fire here, in my interperation,
representing Christ bearing all sin. And for this one moment He's seperated
from the Father because of all this sin that he burdens for us. This is
just astounding and a great and perfect reminder of what He's done for
us... and who am I that He died for me?"
"I've been following your journals and pictures since I first stumbled
across your work. They have always been breathtaking, powerful, evocative.
But, for me, this is it. I'm not a deeply religious person, but for some
reason, somehow, this particular station brought tears to my eyes. Thats
incredible. That's true art. Thank you for giving me the privelage of
experiencing these works, I am truly honoured"
FEEDBACK
FROM YOUTH
"This is Rachael, one of your lovely and dedicated fans. I met you
at the Eyekons Art gallery in Grand Rapids, Michigan about a month ago
or so when you did a presentation of your amazing artwork for our youth
group at Westminster Pres. (Afterwards, I came down and played you the
tune I wrote inspired by your art work on my mandolin!)
I have so much to say, but probably can't express it all clearly in writing.
(As you know, i express my self best through my music.) Anyway, I wanted
to thank you soooooo very much for your book- whenever I play my tune
for someone, i bring the book of your artwork to show them ( a tiny percent
of the amazing-ness---- and i always urge them afterwards to go to the
gallery to see the real thing!)
I played my "Fifteen Stations" tune for my youth group and they
seemed pretty impressed. Then, a week and half later, I was asked by one
of the pastors at my church to play it for a Lenten service! She hadn't
even heard the tune, but just by the description of how i came to write
it made her want me to play it!
So, I played it at the Lenten Service when all of the "important"
pastors and leaders of my church were present. I was soooo excited. Whenever
I play the tune, all of the emotion is drained out of me and your paintings
run through my head.
Wow. It's so awesome, I can't describe. So I'm writing to thank you for
your inspiration and to urge you with all my heart to KEEP doing what
you're doing because your art work will MOVE MOUNTAINS!"
"It's awesome what you've done wit the passions and talents that
God has given you. You have such an incredible testimony because you brought
so much of your faith into your art".
"I really enjoyed listening to how you did your pieces. It was amazing
to see what went into it. When you talked to us afterwards it really gave
me a new perspective. You had some really god things to say. Your work
is absolutely amazing. Thanks for sharing it with us."
"I really liked
how you talked about your faith and how it affected your art. I enjoyed
the encouragement that you gave and how you somewhat preached to us."
"Thank you so much for speaking to us. It was really inspiring! It
is truly evident that God has used you and your work to reach others."
"Kevin, I really appreciate you taking the time to talk to us. I
can see that you poured your heart into your work. It is awesome how God
worked with and through you."
"The artist's humility, his ability to give his talent so wholly
to God really struck me. This humility is so apparent in his work. The
paintings are so spontaneous, you sense that they were really inspired."