30 days unplugged
HOW A CATHOLIC PRIEST TURNED OFF HIS IPHONE AND TOOK A CALL FROM GOD
Ladies and Gentlemen...The Artists!
I can’t even begin to express my gratitude for their contributions. I believe that what they’ve created, based on my meditations, has yielded an outstanding collection of religious artwork for the modern era, and the collaborative process I went through with each one of them was far and away my favorite part of bringing this book forth.
The concept of having artwork in 30 Days Unplugged came to me almost as soon as my spiritual director gave me the initial green light. Once I started on the book, I asked an artist friend of mine if he would work with me on it, and it was his suggestion that I seek out multiple artists with varying styles.
This turned out to be a brilliant stroke. It was astonishing to me how I was led, clearly by Divine Providence, to each one of these incredibly talented people. I was then able to look at the manuscript in a new way and imagine which artist would be ideal for which parts. After an initial discussion, and sometimes consultation as the work progressed, I gave each artist complete freedom to visualize and render his or her interpretation. I absolutely love the results and hope you do, as well. Please peruse the artist’s websites and see their other artwork for purchase, or hire them for your own personal project.
Thank you, my fellow artists, for your willingness to collaborate in making beautiful art together. I remain grateful to your “Yes!” May God bless your future efforts and bless the world in the way you have blessed me.
Love you!
Fr. Darrin Merlino
Estella Marie
Estella Marie is 8 years old and in 3rd grade. She loves her Catholic faith and her family with all of her heart. When she’s not drawing, she’s likely Irish dancing, cooking, or traveling the world.
SPENCER ANGLE
My name is Spencer Angle, I’m a Mary Star alumni that graduated in 2011 and now working at getting my freelance illustrator career going. I received a Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University Fullerton and have yet to begin a full-time art career because I’ve been working part time and traveling whenever possible. I believe that a key to inspiration lies in having a broad world view, as well as seeing new and interesting environments as well as local museums. I focus mainly on digital illustration due to its portability and all the cool things one can do with technology these days. From painting and graphic design to sculpting I can do a bit of everything with a computer, it’s really great. I got into contact with Father Darrin when on a happenstance visit to my alma mater and he reached out for my assistance and seeing as how I would love the opportunity for my art to reach a wider audience I jumped at the chance to help. I hope you find my work unique and interesting in the very least. The ideas came to me when thinking of traditional stained glass windows, but maybe how they’d be interpreted in a digital or AI generated setting.
Michelangelo Da Vinci
COMING SOON
Mark Dever
Currently attending the University of Mary completing a Business Communication degree, Mark Dever spends much of his leisure time drawing. He spent his early childhood years drawing for fun with his father and now at twenty years of age loves art all the more for its role in his life as a creative and emotional outlet. His latest work consists almost exclusively of images of people, in ink, alcohol markers or graphite on paper which remain his preferred media. With no formal training in the arts he continues to push himself and develop his style as he completes his degree.
Johnnie root
Is a 23 year old wife and mother to be, with a passion for art and the Catholic faith. As an award winning artist, Johnnie, has captured the attention of many which has led to her work being published in multiple books. Among her accomplishments she was an art scholar at Ave Maria University where she graduated with an Arts and Humanities
degree, and currently runs her own company Johnnie Girl Art. Her work aims to bring the spirituality, genius and inspiration of the Church to the younger generation- through hand drawn original art pieces.
JohnnieGirl.com
SUSAN EDWARDS
A long time resident of the So Bay Area of So California , Susan A. Edwards spent 46 years teaching grades Pre K thru College , was a Director of an Alternative School and a Principal of an Elementary school The last 20 years of her career was spent as Head of the Art Department and Art Teacher at Mary Star of the Sea High School in San Pedro .
Being in the art field of education allowed Susan the opportunity to develop her talents asan independent artist . Retirement has been exciting , productive and not short on creative projects for this artist.
MIA & ROBERT GIL
Robert graduated with a degree in Graphic Communications. His professional experience as a graphic artist began in the textbook industry working on imaging for school books, ranging from kindergarten to the collegiate level. His talents eventually led him to other arenas, including work for the advertising and entertainment industry.
In recent years Robert has transitioned into another field of work. He still enjoys using his artistic talents for both leisure and volunteer work for the Catholic Church. Robert is a husband and father of six.
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Mia gil is currently an undergrad student at Franciscan University of Steubenville. Her love for art started at an early age, gaining her recognition in school and winning multiple awards. Mia currently uses her artistic talent for personal fun, using a wide variety of mediums.