Psalm 4:2

"You have as much laughter as you have faith"

~Martin Luther

The Great Reformer

Here is a portrait of Martin Luther that I made in PhotoShop. I Painted one of him in acrylic a few years ago as a going away present for a retiring pastor, but as far as I could tell, no one was all that excited about it. I wanted to make something new for Clergy Appreciation Month (October) but I just haven't got much time. So, I made a composite out of two historical paintings and a snapshot of Wartburg castle in Eisenach, Germany that I found on the web. One of the things that's always bothered me about Luther portraits are how stoic and stern he's portrayed. I think it's a German thing. But in his writings, a much more warm, kind, jovial, passionate and at times even smart-assed Luther is revealed. To achieve this, I used PhotoShop to help his face and eyes smile some. Then I tried to put a little sparkle in his eyes. I think I gave him at least slightly more paternal, approachable look than the way he's usually seen. Happy Reformation Day (Oct 31).

Here are the pictures I used to create the composite.


And here is the painting I did a couple of years ago:

Luther in oil on canvas. May 2004. Ephesians 2:8-10. I painted this one for our pastor's retirement. I recommend reading Luther's "The Babylonian Captivity of the Church." Especially if you're a Lutheran pastor, this book will help you understand the priesthood of all believers and put the clergy in perspective. Click here to take a look http://www.ctsfw.edu/etext/luther/babylonian/babylonian.htm


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