Miserere, Merciful Jesus

"Miserere, Merciful Jesus", is a focused, intimate encounter—a portrait that invites you to meet Jesus not in distance but in closeness. My latest painting in the series "The 100 Faces of Jesus" number 93, measuring 24 by 24 inches and rendered in oil on canvas, this work captures an intense moment of quiet grace through careful, deliberate detail. 

In this piece, Jesus’s face fills the frame—the contours and warmth of his skin revealed with precision, the subtleties of light and shadow bringing depth to every feature. His long hair flows gently around his face, merging softly into a dark, almost indistinct background that draws the eye directly to his expression. The weight of his gaze is carried in his intense blue eyes, turned upward with a softness that suggests both yearning and mercy. This ethereal look is central to the work: it carries a quiet power, sensing beyond the present, inviting reflection.

Creating Miserere, Merciful Jesus was an exercise in capturing that elusive, compassionate gaze—a moment when divinity feels close and accessible, yet profoundly mysterious. The meticulous brushwork strives not just for likeness, but for presence: the texture of skin, the flow of hair, the primal humanity beneath the sacred image. It is an invitation to pause and engage with tenderness and depth, to witness mercy embodied in a look.

This artwork stands as a visual meditation on mercy itself—an invitation to experience compassion not as an abstract idea but as something tangible, immediate, and full of gentle strength. The close-up perspective is both an embrace and a challenge: to meet mercy face to face, to recognize it in the vulnerable and the eternal alike.

I hope Miserere, Merciful Jesus offers a space for quiet contemplation and connection, reminding us of the enduring presence of care that speaks in the silence between words.