The Pilgrim

"He stood in line, patiently shuffling forward, to touch the wooden statue of a saint. A big breasted, rhinestone belted woman in front of him kept her hand on her hip, never touching the relic, and satisfied her curiosity with an impassive look, then moved on. The statue was purported to take away your pain and loss. He, on the other hand, gently caressed the statue's forehead, like a mother with a sick child, made the sign of a cross, found a seat directly in front of me, and bowed his head, over his cane, in prayer. It was such a tender scene of devotion I raised my phone camera to preserve the moment to paint from. But my daughter touched my arm and quietly stopped me from intruding. She was right. Some things are too sacred to record." Watching a patron of St. Xavier Mission in Arizona on a Sunday. This painting was awarded the Grand Prize at Logan Fine Art Gallery's Fall Salon, 2016.