April 2024 Art Update
Off the Easel!
Here are all the cool projects I was able to finish this month! Which one’s your favorite?
Woman, Why Are You Crying?
I’m happy to present my newest piece Woman, Why Are You Crying? (11”x14” gouache on paper - AVAILABLE SOON)
Inspired by John 20, Mary Magdalene is pictured here at the site of her greatest despair - Jesus’ empty tomb. Her face is marked by the utter depression she feels in Jesus’ absence.
In her grief, she fails to recognize her risen savior when he appears and says through tears “They have taken my Lord away and I don’t know where they have put him.”
Jesus shakes her out of her misery in an instant by calling her by her name. In an instant, Mary is reminded of who she is and fully embraces what the resurrection means for her - death does not have the final say!
In the “tomb moments” of life, it can be difficult to see what is true and what is false. Our grief can keep us from seeing ourselves in the light of Jesus’ face and our identity can be shaken. But I pray this image and story can bring you face to face with Jesus who breaks into our tombs and brings new life out of them!
If today you hear your own name being spoken by the Author and Giver of LIFE harden not your hearts.
This piece went through a major revision! Originally I wanted to portray Mary’s full body in the tomb. But I knew something was wrong - after polling my best critics (my parents) I realized that the impact of the piece lay in her expression. So I started completely over and cropped in! Do you think it made a difference?
The Meissner’s
Natalie and Kenny are celebrating their one year anniversary this year! To commemorate this big event, Natalie commissioned a light and airy painting inspired by their wedding portrait as a surprise. I absolutely love how it turned out and am overjoyed to help encourage their marriage with this painting
Deliveries
I had back to back deliveries to two wonderful clients who commissioned these paintings!
The first was a painting of Ann’s Mary Grotto as a commemoration of the miracle she experiences - flowers blooming even in the bitter cold. I named it Our Lady of Hope in the Snow and had the joy of bringing it to her rosary group one morning!
The second painting is a reproduction of This is My Body but on a white background for Jen. Here’s her testimony on what this image means for her:
I had a crazy Lenten season this year. I balanced third trimester pregnancy, homeschooled my big kids, built an egg business, and kept five kiddos (mostly) fed and (mostly) happy.
I had been praying for several months about commissioning @mattiekarrstudio to create a piece for our home, and sure enough God lined up all of those dots in a powerful way for me, through Mattie’s gift of art.
I desired a piece to help me meditate on our Eucharistic Lord in relation to my six pregnancies throughout the last nine years. “This is my body, given up for you…”
Over the course of ten years, I have taken over 370 of these progesterone injections to sustain my pregnancies to term, and this last pregnancy my body has been quite broken. But alas, today we have reached the 36 week point and **this part** is finished.
Thanks be to God for the gift of the Eucharist and for the beautiful reminder that our sufferings here on this earth can be united to those of Christ in his crucifixion.
Triptych varnish &
prints soon!
Okay. The triptychs are now finished finished! I went up the scaffolding one last time to varnish the triptychs to keep them safe from dust, incense smoke, and light damage. But this is my favorite part - look how vibrant the varnish makes the colors! It totally brings the images back to life!
I just had photos taken of these paintings (thanks to Jacob Bentzinger - real life magician with a lens!) and will be producing prints very soon! Keep an eye out for emails on this!
On the Easel
My current painting is top secret! 🤫🙊 I can’t wait to share it with you!:)
Commission spots open!
I’ve opened up 3 commission spots for May and June! Commissions make very meaningful Mother’s Day and Father’s Day gifts. Check out my new and improved commission page for more information.
Commissions from photos start at $500 and commissions from scratch start at $750 and $1500 depending on the complexity and size.
Thank You!!
At the Vivify Catholic Arts Collective
Risen Art Show with Mary Magdalene
What a fun month this was, watching Kansas come back alive after a cold winter. I’m so excited for all that the summer will bring as we all get a little more sunlight and joy. Again, thank you for your continued support and encouragement. Because of you all and the provision of the Lord, I never have to come under the title “starving artist”. :) I’m so grateful!
God bless you!!
-Mattie
