Texas artist draws portraits of bishops

CANTON, Texas (CNS) -- In an age of digital imagery, one young East Texas artist hopes to revive a tradition of hand-drawn portraits of Catholic bishops using pencil and paper.

Michael Lawrence, the 22-year-old son of Deacon Richard Lawrence, director of discipleship and stewardship for the Diocese of Tyler, and Nell Lawrence, director of Catholic Charities East Texas, said he’s drawn human faces since he was a preteen. At the invitation of Bishop Alvaro Corrada, he began the ‘Bishops of Tyler’ portrait collection with an image of Bishop Corrada, who is currently apostolic administrator of the East Texas diocese.

“The bishop has always had a great love of the arts and a desire to encourage young artists, and he commissioned the works for his private collection,” Deacon Lawrence recalled.

The result was a lifelike image of the Puerto Rican native, who was installed Sept. 12 as head of the Diocese of Mayaguez in his homeland; the image was immediately adapted for use in the annual diocesan appeal. Bishop Corrada was Tyler’s bishop from January 2001 until his appointment to Mayaguez.

“That piece was reproduced to make 30,000 keepsake cards,” the artist recalled. “It was the start of the ‘Three Bishops of Tyler’ collection now on display at the Tyler chancery.”

A self-taught artist who briefly attended the University of Texas at Tyler, Lawrence said he developed “my own methods” along the way, creating images primarily in graphite/pencil and some pen and ink.

Lawrence said he prefers the “simplicity” of black and white portraits.

“I like the simplicity of this tool to draw something so complex as the human face -- you can get such detail with a sharpened pencil that you can’t get with other mediums, like watercolor for example,” he said. “There’s a timelessness that doesn’t come across in color.”

His first showing was a collection titled “The Faces of America.”

“I did portraits of Rosa Parks, Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., the helmeted head of an astronaut and the head of an American eagle,” he recalled, saying they were then made into 10-by 12-foot panels for use as a backdrop by his high school band’s music competitions throughout the state.

A member of St. Therese Church in Canton, Lawrence said he considers his talent “a gift from God,” and understands that not everyone possesses the ability of creating art.

“My parents raised me in the Catholic Church -- when I think about it, I guess that’s where I first experienced art,” he said. “My parents always encouraged my artistic expression and Bishop Corrada was the first to commission my work -- he really appreciates fine art and I understand he likes to encourage young artists.”

Although his desire is to return to a more classic style of artistry, Lawrence does employ current technology to help him get the job done.

Using a digital camera, he shoots a series of photos “to get just the right angles, the right shading, the perfect contrast, but more than that, I look for that shot that most expresses the personality of the subject,” he said. “I prefer to use digital images (because) I’m looking for sharp details -- my drawings are all about the smallest details.”

For one Houston family, Lawrence’s creation is a joyful reminder of the brother they lost two decades ago.

“It is so realistic,” Ron Herzig said of the detailed portrait of his brother, Bishop Charles Herzig, who was ordained the first bishop of Tyler Feb. 27, 1987, and served until his death of cancer Sept. 7, 1991.

“Every little feature is there: The eyebrows, the nose, his cheeks ... I was so amazed at how well it (depicted his brother), that I feel like he’s looking at me all the time,” he said. “Michael did a beautiful job of this, and the rest of the family will be so excited when they see it. We just weren’t expecting this at all.”

Lawrence has completed six prelates’ portraits since his first detailed sketch of Bishop Corrada. They include Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston and Auxiliary Bishop Eduardo A. Nevares of Phoenix.

Lawrence said he hopes to continue making a living with his art, ultimately as “the portrait artist of bishops.”

“Up until about 100 years ago, it was a pretty common thing for bishops to have their portraits made, and I’m hoping to bring that custom back as more and more bishops take notice of my work,” he said. “Maybe someday I will have a chance to draw a portrait of the pope.”