Portrait of Jesus

16” diameter
European Steamed Beech
Clear Finish
2” thick, carved to depth of 1.25”

This carving started with a photo taken of a family friend… a seminary student… whose appearance fit the image I had in mind for this portrait of Jesus. My friend, Peter D., willingly wore a costume for the photos and posed for about an hour as I took picture after picture.

I wanted to portray a calm resolve in the face of Jesus, the resolve He had when “he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem”. The crown-of-thorns border reminds us of what was waiting for Him there.

On the rear of the carving is the following inscription from Hebrews 12:2: ”Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

The bold text is the actual inscription, set in context of the verse. FYI, I have now carved the entire verse 2 of Hebrews chapter 12. It took two carvings to even begin to capture the message.

Sometime soon, I’d also like to tackle Hebrews 12:1 which reads:
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

Bill Judt
Saskatoon
http://wwwoodcarver.com/
bjudt@sasktel.net