Catherine McClung: “I pray before I paint that His hand would be with mine”

April 17th, 2008 by Menachem Wecker

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed an article in The Grand Rapids Press on wildlife painter Catherine McClung (see her website here), whose work is so realistic that some have accused her of passing photographs off as art. The article mentioned that McClung has created a “bird-themed ornament for the White House Christmas tree” and that she is a “woman of great faith who actively studies the Bible” and “struggles with success and compliments.” I posed a few questions to Catherine via email, and she was kind enough to reply.

MW: How, if at all, does you Bible study influence your work?

CM: I pray before I paint that His hand would be with mine.

MW: Have you created any religious works? Do you consider yourself a religious artist per se?

CM: I paint God’s beautiful creations. I have not illustrated any Biblical stories.

MW: What are some of the greatest rewards and challenges of being religious and an artist?

CM: Bible study and my faith has given me wisdom. Being able to use my God given talent is a joy. Painting is only part of what I do. Much time is spent running the business of being an artist. As you know it is a difficult way to make a living. Here the Golden Rule is important. I often see artists use hype to promote their work and it seems to work for them for awhile, but I have to avoid that. I like to encourage other artists along the way and not to see them as competitors. I earmark ten percent of all print editions for donations. Art and auctions have been a popular way for fund raising.

MW: Who are some of your favorite contemporary artists working in a religious vein?

CM: My friend Harry Antis passed away a few years ago. He painted a dozen, very large oils, illustrating the life of Jesus in the years before he died. I believe his son is running the business called Christian Cameos Ministries. Prior to these religious paintings, he was known as a wildlife artist.

MW: Are there some things that are off limits for religious people to paint?

CM: I would never consider painting anything ugly, evil, or pornographic.

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I followed up and asked Catherine whether she prays an already composed prayer or one of her own invention, and she replied, “I pray in my own words before I paint.”

Asked if she knows of other artists who pray before working, she added, “I only know for sure that my friend Harry Antis did as well. I don’t know Thomas Kinkade but in the literature that I have read about him, he mentions his Christian faith. I would be interested to know if he prays before he begins painting. I feel certain that there are many other artists that do. I see it to be the same as others that pray before they do their job. I know of friends that use their morning commute to pray about the task of teaching children that day, etc.”

Asked whether art-making is something that is stressed in sermons and in church, she said, “I have not heard art-making mentioned in any sermons.”

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