From the book Unveiled. Huldah is a prophetess in the Bible, and she discerned and interpreted scripture for King Josiah. In this painting, I wanted to capture her authority, wisdom and strength. Her piercing gaze of balanced judgement and integrity.
From the book Unveiled. Rebekah was the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. Her story is one of determination and faith. In this painting, I wanted to capture her beauty and gentle tenacity.
From the book Garden Song, illustrating Psalm 38 - “O my God, do not be far from me”. In this charcoal drawing, I wanted to capture hope and a moment of connection to the divine. A sense of yearning to connect with something greater than ourselves, to find the strength to persevere and peace in the uncertainty of life.
From the book Garden Song, illustrating Psalm 62 - “On God alone my soul in stillness waits”. The words “my soul in stillness waits” are words that sometimes echo through my mind when I pray. For me, connecting with God and the Holy Spirit enables me to persevere. In this painting, I aimed to capture that sense of peace, surrounded by the deep green of nature, which I love.
From the book Unveiled. Rahab is featured in the Bible as sheltering Israelite spies when they were assessing the defences of Jericho. Despite her being a Canaanite (enemies of Israel) and a prostitute, she recognised God’s authority and purpose and gave aid to the spies, sheltering them from the king’s men. In this painting, I wanted to capture her discernment and courage.
From the book Garden Song. Illustrating Psalm 105 - “For he remembered his holy promise and Abraham, his servant”. In this drawing, I wanted to capture a man worn by life but holding onto hope. Abraham persevered in his faith, something I find inspiring.
From the book Unveiled. In the Bible, Bathsheba was gazed upon by King David, who then sent her husband to war (and his death), so he could marry her. In this painting, I wanted to capture her beauty and the moment David fell for her. For me, it reminds me of King David’s brokenness in his actions, as well as that beauty is not something anyone is just entitled to. I feel the painting also speaks of her innocence, and that expressing beauty is a good thing.
From the book Unveiled. In the Bible, Athaliah was a brutal and idolatrous queen. She murdered most of the royal family so that she would inherit the throne, and she was the only woman to rule over Judah. In this painting, I wanted to capture her energy, intensity and defiance. In Unveiled, my mum (Clare Hayns, author), couldn’t find anything good to say about her! But I always liked how the painting turned out - cool and mysterious.
From the book Unveiled. In the Bible, Abigail was the wife of a wealthy but foolish and unkind man who bluntly refused to give provisions to David (later to become king but currently in hiding from Saul). After hearing about her husband's actions, she intervened by travelling to see David, bringing a feast and giving a peacemaking speech where she highlighted David’s righteousness. Her wise actions calmed him down and prevented any violence. In this painting, I wanted to capture her decisiveness, energy and initiative.
I have always been fascinated by how the old prophets may have looked. I am drawn to both their human nature, which we can all relate to, but also their connection, surrender and obedience to God. Rather than capturing a stoic and ‘superhuman’ image of someone, I want to capture a face which is relatable and real. This was my aim in drawing Elijah, where I wanted to capture his wisdom and divine insight.
From the book Unveiled. Dinah was the youngest child and only daughter of Jacob and Leah. In the Bible, her story is a brutal one as she was abducted and sexually abused by a neighbouring prince. In this painting, I wanted to capture both her brokenness, as well as, within her eyes and the images in the background, a sense of hope. A reminder that all suffering and trauma can ultimately be redeemed, and we can be healed and restored.
From the book Unveiled. After being banished to the wilderness, Hagar calls God "El Roi," meaning "The God who sees me". In this drawing, I wanted to capture the deep peace she must have felt from feeling seen by God.
From the book Unveiled. In the Bible, Jezebel was married to King Ahab of Northern Israel and was influential in encouraging idolatry and opposing the Israelite prophets. In this painting, I wanted to capture her defiance.
From the book Unveiled. In the Bible, Naomi’s story is one of tragedy and heartbreak, but also redemption. She experiences soul-crushing grief after her husband and two sons die from famine. But through her daughter-in-law Ruth’s loyalty and eventual husband Boaz’s generosity, she finds hope and joy once again through a grandson. Her story is about family love and those who love us picking us up when our strength is gone. In this drawing, I wanted to capture that combination of grief and hope.
From the book Unveiled. In the Bible, Rachel was the wife of Jacob and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin. Her story is one of sorrow, patience, endurance, but also deep love for Jacob. She had children but was infertile for a long time. I always found her patient endurance so inspiring and compelling. To be able to persevere when things don’t end up the way we want is so difficult and something I feel I have been learning recently. In this painting, I wanted to capture that sadness, but also a sense of her deeper strength.
From the book Garden Song. Illustrating Psalm 31: “I have become like a Broken Vessel”.
This drawing is about grief and the heaviness of sorrow. It is inspired by Jesus’ mother, Mary and her deep heartbreak.
From the book Unveiled. Tamar’s story is interesting, and she is tenacious and determined. I wanted to capture that in this drawing of just her eyes - alert and cunning.
This painting is very important to me, perhaps one of the most personally important paintings I have made. You may know I have an art gallery called Jungle. Well, the metaphor behind that gallery (and now community living room) is “Within the Jungle, Lives a Gardener”. The Jungle offers a huge amount for the surrounding community - you can find out more at jungle.org.uk.
This painting is hanging in the Jungle, and for me, Jesus is the gardener in the Jungle, transforming the chaos and ‘Jungle’ of people’s lives into gardens. Cultivating spaces of peace both within us and around us.
A painting of Mary and Jesus. Baby Jesus looks up into the light, towards the Father, eager and full of joy. His arms are stretched out, open, ready and surrendered. A foresight of his destiny on the cross. The classical, warm colours create a sacred atmosphere. Mary nestles her face into his neck, capturing the deep love and connection she has for him.
From the book Garden Song. Illustration for Psalm 100 - “We are his people, the sheep of his pasture”. In the New Testament, Jesus refers to himself as the ‘Good Shepherd’, bringing back the lost sheep to the pasture. This drawing is meant to capture that grace and love. The shepherd’s expression is gentle and loving. I wanted to capture a feeling of safety and peace in this drawing.
From the book Garden Song. Illustrating Psalm 64 - “Surely the human mind and heart are cunning”. The composition of this drawing is important to the experience of it, the eyes gazing off from the darkness. Not looking at us, but just over our shoulder. What are they looking at? Who are they looking at? For me, it is a reminder that my gaze can wander, my self-will can take number one priority over others.
From the book Garden Song. Illustrating Psalm 13 - “How long must I bear pain in my soul”. I think we can all relate to this Psalm about heartache and grief. I have felt the pain of loss and also the frustration of carrying that weight. In this painting, I wanted to capture both the weight of life and also the hope that it will get better. The man’s human spirit lighting up the darkness around him.
A study in black and white, aiming to capture a young woman’s independence and resolve. Willing to hold her own despite the resistance. She is beautiful, and her gaze is curious.
From the book Garden Song. Illustrating Psalm 27 - “Behold the beauty of the Lord”. I think sometimes it’s good to give ourselves time and space to ‘behold’ and to wonder. Often, I get lost in all my unresolved problems and anxieties for the future that I forget to be grateful for what I have now. For me, this is what this painting is about: taking a moment to be grateful and behold the many blessings we do have and sometimes forget and take for granted.
The Lord of the Rings films have always been a great inspiration for me. Particularly, the way the story simultaneously illustrates deep truths of life, journey, struggle, friendship, faith and community, as well as being visually stunning, beautifully crafted and entertaining. These are things I hope to balance in my work. In particular, Gandalf represents for me wisdom, faith, kindness and discernment - qualities I wanted to capture in this painting I made of him!
There is something cool about this painting for me. Both in the ‘cool’ colours of blue, but also the self-assured confidence of the subject. The willingness to be vulnerable and to be yourself and own it is, I think, what ‘being cool’ really means. The ones who do this are the trend setters who the crowd follow. The bare shoulders portray that vulnerability. I hope this painting can inspire others to lean into the things, passions, interests, and gifts within them that are trying to come out, to embrace them and share them with the world. To also be “cool”.
In this drawing, I wanted to capture an old man with a youthful spirit and sense of life. He has a glint in his eye and a passion and enthusiasm that feels contagious. I feel like we have all met people like him in our lives.
In this contemporary-style painting, I used the background collage to tell a story. For me, the background has images all evoking a different feeling, sort of like these are the colourful array of feelings that are going on within the subject. There is always so much under the surface in people that we can’t see, so this painting is a reminder and celebration of that.
In this painting, I wanted to capture a cowboy having his early morning coffee. His mysterious gaze stares at us, but we are unsure what he is thinking. He is too used to keeping his feelings hidden.
This painting is of a cowboy setting off in the early morning. He looks back, grieving the fact that he has to move on. It is about the times when we have to move on in our lives. Whether that is from people or places.
In this painting, I wanted to capture a cowboy worn by time. His eyes show both wisdom and pain, gained from his life and what he has seen. In contrast, the bright, innocent blue and white shine around him, giving a sense of hope.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisci elit, sed eiusmod tempor incidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur. Quis aute iure reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat.
Original Artwork
If you would like a quote for the original artwork, please fill out this form and Micah will get back to you shortly.
