“…for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.”
The story of the prodigal son gives us a glimpse into God the Father’s boundless love and mercy for us. This woodcut is an attempt to express the moment of mercy exchanged between the son and the father when the prodigal son returns. How do you approach God the Father? What is your response to His embrace of mercy, which is always waiting for you?
I approached this woodcut primarily as a follow-up to an etching I created a few years ago of the prodigal son amongst swine, a low moment of realization before he decides to return to the father. A big thank you to Teddy Lepley for being my model for the prodigal son and to my teacher Dave Johnson for letting me use his hands for the Father. Please message me if interested in learning more about the process of making this print, the concept behind it, or if interested in purchasing one of the prints. All prints are hand-carved, inked, and printed in my studio.
The original drawing for the Prodigal Son print was commissioned for the St. Francis Center at Franciscan Health (Dyer, IN), a residential service that provides behavioral treatment for adolescents in Northwestern Indiana / Chicago area.
