Painting the Pope | An Interview with Ann Kissane Engelhart | Ignatius Insight | August
30, 2011
Painting the Pope | An Interview with Ann Kissane Engelhart | Ignatius Insight | August
30, 2011
http://www.ignatiusinsight.com/features2011/akengelhart_interview_aug2011.asp
Ann
Kissane Engelhart (personal website: www.annkissaneengelhart.com) is a
watercolorist based in Long Island whose paintings have been featured in the
Empire State Building, St. Francis Hospital, the DeMatties Center, Brooklyn
College and Wagner College and in private collections. She has won numerous
awards, she has exhibited in galleries on Long Island and New York, and her
illustrations have been published in a variety of magazines and periodicals.
She illustrated the children's book, Friendship With Jesus: Pope Benedict
XVI talks to Children on Their First Holy Communion, which features Benedict XVI's answers
to questions put to him by children in Rome; the book is edited by popular
author and blogger Amy Welborn. Ann recently spoke with Ignatius Insight about
her artwork, illustrating Friendship With Jesus, and meeting Pope Benedict XVI.
Ignatius
Insight: How and when did you first develop an interest in art? And how did you
end up choosing watercolor over, say, oil or acrylics?
Ann
Kissane Engelhart: At a
very early age, probably around four or five I realized that my peculiar
fascination with drawing on anything I could get my hands onto (napkins, walls,
my pillow!) was neither shared nor appreciated by others. Soon, I was
recognized by my family and teachers for having an artistic talent. I never
really considered pursuing any other career.
Ignatius
Insight: What are some of the unique challenges and qualities of painting with
watercolors?
Ann
Kissane Engelhart: In
college, as a fine arts student I primarily studied oil painting and a bit of
watercolor. Though I loved oil painting, there are certain unique qualities
about watercolor that seem to suit my personality and way of seeing things.
The
fact that watercolor dries almost instantly, as opposed to the days and even
weeks it can take for oils to dry, is very appealing to this procrastinator.
But more importantly, the immediacy and living quality of the wet paint
continues to fascinate me.
I began to teach art in Catholic elementary and high schools and eventually
taught watercolor classes in continuing education at St. John's University. I
delighted in showing my students how they had to approach the medium with the
almost opposite method of oils, where highlights are the final details added to
a painting. In watercolor, no white paint is used, so the highlights are
actually the white of the paper. So, if for example, one wants to describe the
shine on a reflective object, or the slats in a white picket fence, one must
plan ahead and paint around the white spaces of paper to reveal those details.
For this reason, watercolor is thought to be less forgiving than oil or acrylic
painting where corrections can be made at any time.
Though
watercolor is considered by many to be a difficult medium to control, its
unpredictability can yield felicitous results. The effect of the incense smoke
rising from the thurible in a painting in "Friendship With Jesus" is something
that lends itself to the loose, wet washes of blended color that can only be
achieved in watercolor.
Therefore
learning to master this medium is a delicate balance of knowing when to use
strict discipline and when to let go ... a metaphor for life!
Ignatius
Insight: Is Friendship With Jesus your first book? What was the inspiration for the book?
Ann Kissane Engelhart: Most
of my previous freelance work was focused on portraits, landscapes, still-life
painting and general illustration. Friendship With Jesus is in fact my first published book,
though I was simultaneously working on other children's books.
I
was inspired to illustrate the book after I had read in my local Catholic
newspaper that Pope Benedict was going to meet and have a conversation with
Roman children who had recently received their First Holy Communion. This was
during the Year of the Eucharist in the first months after his election.
Though
I was far from being a student of theology, I had been fascinated and inspired by
the pope's homily at the inaugural mass of his pontificate where he had already
begun to explore the idea of "friendship" or an encounter with Christ. I had
started to read his books. Thus, the idea of a scholar, a doctoral professor
giving a lesson to eight-year-old kids intrigued me. I found the transcript and
watched a You Tube video of the event. Pope Benedict responded to the
children's questions (which were similar to my own) with simple, yet profound
answers at their level, with the encouragement of a grandfather.
I immediately had the idea that this beautiful conversation should be made
known to a wider audience—perhaps in a book for children. A picture book!
I decided that I could and must do this myself. Encouraged by my husband who
(after my persuasion) had also begun to appreciate our new pope's writing, I
started to work on some illustrations with the hope of enticing an author to
edit the Holy Father's dialogue with the children.
Ignatius
Insight: What was the creative process like for you and Amy Welborn?
Ann Kissane Engelhart: I had
begun to read Amy Welborn's blog and had seen her fine writing in places like
the daily devotional, "Living Faith" and in her books for children. I
understood that like me, Pope Benedict's messages had deeply resonated with
her. I took a chance by sending her a proposal and a few of the preliminary
illustrations and asked if she would consider working on the project with me.
To my surprise and delight, she said yes!
Amy took the responsibility of editing the text, framing it in the context of a
book for children with appropriate scriptural quotes, writing a formal
proposal, setting up a webpage and contacting publishers. I continued to work
on the illustrations, which I would send her periodically. Although most all of
our correspondence was via email, we managed to develop a real friendship and
were eventually able to visit each other's homes in New York and Alabama. I
consider this collaboration to be an unexpected but welcome fruit of the
project, for which I am most grateful.
In
the spring of 2010 Amy contacted the British publisher to the Holy See,
Catholic Truth Society about publishing Friendship With Jesus. They were excited at the prospect of
offering the book in anticipation of Pope Benedict's visit to Great Britain. We
are very happy that Ignatius Press, who has a relationship with Catholic Truth
Society, has decided to bring the book to a U.S. market.
Ignatius
Insight: Did you have an opportunity to show the book to the Holy Father?
Ann Kissane Engelhart: At Easter of 2009 my family took a trip to Italy to visit my daughter who was
studying in Rome for a semester. We were blessed to be able to sit in the
"prima fila" section at the Holy Father's General Audience on Easter Wednesday,
where we presented him with a mock up version of the pre-published book.
Amy had suggested that I make a separate print of one of the paintings that
corresponded with a question a child had asked the pope about his own First
Holy Communion. The illustration showed him as a child in front the church in
the Bavarian village of Aschau am Inn where he actually had received the
sacrament. I had created the imaginary scene from a variety of sources that I
had researched on the internet. When he saw the image, he gasped in recognition
of himself as a young boy. He appeared to be amused and delighted that someone
had taken on this project. He expressed his admiration and thanks for the work
and gave us his blessing.
My husband and I were struck with his humility and warmth and his manner of
giving undivided attention and respect to each person he greeted. This was an
extraordinary opportunity which I will always treasure.
Ignatius
Insight: Are you working on any other books? Any plans to illustrate other
books about the pope or Catholic themes?
I have since illustrated a children's picture book about composting, called The
Dirt Maker, by Linda Krisch, and am working with another author on a book about a child's garden.
Amy and I are just finishing up another project for Catholic Truth Society based on
the Holy Father's talk to British school children in Twickenham, England, which
he gave while on his Apostolic trip there last fall. In the address he
encouraged the children to become the saints of the twenty-first century, indicating
how following Christ will ensure an adventurous life of true happiness and joy.
We are very happy with the way the book has developed.
In
addition, Amy and I have many ideas for future projects we hope will come to
fruition. These new ventures have been a labor of love and have deepened my own
spiritual life. Hopefully they will touch children and their families as they
grow in their faith together.
• Biography of Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI
• Jesus of Nazareth (Part 2)
• Other Recent Books by Pope Benedict XVI
• All books by or about Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI
• Excerpts from books by Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI
• Articles about Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI
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