St Francis in the Garden
 Franciscan Monastery Series

An Original Oil Painting by Gerald King

     In the summer of 2003 Gerald King started a series of oil paintings of the interior of the Franciscan Monastery Memorial Church of Washington, D.C. As a creative artist, Mr. King has a desire to imbue his work with life. He found satisfaction in depicting some of the figurative wall reliefs and murals as if they existed on the floor of the church.   This was not a preconceived idea but rather an inspiration emanating out of the process of painting. Perhaps, as suggested by many, he was guided by the Holy Spirit. The result was a series of five paintings featuring the four transept isles of the church, and a separate painting of ‘The Chapel of the Blessed Virgin’.  The five works can be seen as the five crosses in the Franciscan Order’s seal of the Custody of the Holy Land.

In this work, "St. Francis in the Garden" the artist takes us outside of the church and into the luxuriant gardens.  Here a statue of St. Francis comes alive and gathers a number of animals about him. The cruciform  Monastery Church rises behind seemingly floating on a celestial cloud.