The Realisation – A Contemporary Christian Crucifixion Painting

Most of my art begins with a spark. An idea that inspires me.

The idea of this painting came to me after observing images of eyes, reflecting the scenes observed.

I imagined a figure from history witnessing the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. In that moment, everything changes. What she had been taught, what she had read in the Hebrew scriptures, suddenly becomes real. The words of the Prophet Isaiah, written some 700 years earlier, are no longer distant—they are unfolding before her eyes.

That moment of recognition. That instant where knowledge becomes understanding, is what this symbolic painting is about.

This is why the artwork is titled The Realisation.

Once the idea took hold, the challenge became how to paint something so profound. I felt a real sense of responsibility to do it justice.

But I tend to dive in regardless. After all, if it doesn’t work, no one has to see it.

The composition quickly became clear: the eye had to be the focal point. Everything else was secondary. The face is positioned to draw you in, to hold your attention there. There are no distractions. Just the face, the eye, the reflected scene, and the tear that captures the weight of that moment.

For me this is a serious and deeply personal piece of contemporary Christian art .  I’m pleased that many have observed this, first seeing a face, maybe a tear and then being impacted by the overall event.

Some understand it immediately. Others don’t. 

And that’s part of the point.

Like the lady in the painting, have you had your moment of realisation yet?