St. Jude Thaddeus
St. Jude Thaddeus
Sustainer of Hope d. 1 cent.
Patronage Lost causes, Hope, Difficulty, Hospitals & Underdogs
Feast Day October 28
Judas, son of James, was always referred to in the gospels as Thaddeus or Jude to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot. He speaks once in scripture, asking Jesus why he won’t reveal his resurrection bombastically to the public like the Jews expected him to. Jude eventually understood why Jesus didn’t, and went on to preach the gospel in Persia, where he and Simon were martyred.
Small Snippet
Saint Jude, intercede to the Holy Ghost that I may live with hope when all hope seems to be lost. Guide me to the light when all I feel is darkness.
Prayer
Artistic Process
Inspo References
I wanted to capture the delicate balance between Agatha’s bravery and her beauty. Above all, I wanted to reverence her mutilation over perversion.
I took these photos. The primrose, according to Celtic tradition, symbolizes the keys to heaven, that they drive away evil. Quite poignant for a woman who remained steadfast in the face of torture.
Primrose Flowers
Two years ago, I attempted to go to daily mass for St. Agatha’s feast day, but my car windshield was frozen. No matter the heat applied, it wouldn’t melt in time for me to make it. Instead, I watched the ice melt in a way that vaguely reminded me of lava. This led me to use the images as lava in her image.
Water Melting
I felt the same way about candle wax at the end of an event my friends hosted. They used so many candles and said the melted down wax was to be chucked. Well I chucked them home to take these photos because once again, I saw potential for lava. I didn’t expect this to be used for Agatha, but it turned out to work nicely for her lava.
Candle Wax
I’ve been fascinated by Agatha for many years, long before I illustrated and designed her. She’s one of those Roman martyrs that just intrigues with her story.
I completed this illustration in 2021, and was happy with it at the time, but she was come a long way.
Older Designs
Just a year later in 2022, I drew and updated Agatha to become much more dynamic and intriguing. I didn’t expect myself to possibly top this gnarly illustration of her. Yet here we are.
