After seeing Ted perform Gethsemane on The Tonight Show, I watched the movie again, and was captivated by the still shots of famous religious paintings that appear during the garden scene. I was ready to take my art in a new direction, and this was all the spark I needed to begin my religious series. I still remember clearly the weekend that I worked on my first painting of Ted as Jesus. I had not done many portraits, and this 2ft by 3ft canvas was my largest endeavour so far. A blank, white canvas is both inspiring and intimidating and I built up thin washes of paint as I studied my photos carefully. Four nights in a row I was at this project, working from midnight until daybreak. Four glorious nights, and then it was finished.

My father's friend, who was a Roman Catholic priest, came by for a visit, and was very open with his compliments. "Look at the expression," he said. "Those eyes... it is the face of Jesus." My eight year old niece said, "Oh Susan, you painted God." I painted two more, with Ted in different scenes. I wanted my images to tell a story, to affect people the way this movie had touched me. To this day, my first one holds a special place in my heart.

S. Moar

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