Joan of Arc receiving Light

Jeanne d’Arc reçoit la Lumière
8" x 10"
Acrylic on canvas
2008

Model: Melissa Joy Dennison


"At about the age of thirteen, I heard a voice from Our Lord, teaching me how to behave. The first time I was very much afraid. It happened about noon on a summer day, when I was in my father’s garden, and I heard the voice on my right side, as if from the direction of the church. There was also a bright light, and it was always in the direction of the voice. The voice always took good care of me, and I felt very consoled."
-Joan of Arc, 1431

This painting is about the Maid and her pious moments with God. Being a shepherd as a girl, she probably had many occasions to contemplate her Creator and hear his voice while alone in the pastures like David had before he was warrior and king. The many psalms he composed show the kind of spiritual closeness that can emerge from such a context. Most assuredly, Joan’s confidence and steadfastness throughout her later triumphs and trials were rooted in a deep relationship with the One who gave her courage and a reason to fight. "I put my entire trust in God alone," says Joan at the Condemnation Trial. "I love Him with all my heart."

The landscape surrounding Joan is painted according to the "fisheye lens" photographic effect. I thought it would well evoke the euphoria of an encounter with God.
A big thank you to Serge Lemée who took the splendid and inspired (!) photograph of Melissa I used to paint this.


About the model:
Melissa Joy Dennison was born and raised in the Philippines to missionary parents. She received Christ as her Saviour at five and very early on dreamed of "doing big things" for God when she would get older. Her teenage years were marked by a moment of pride and spiritual sliding, but she repented and later became a Bible student at Word of Life Bible Institute in Schroon Lake, New York. The two years she spent there taught her humility and total trust in a loving God. She traveled to Québec on a mission trip in April 2008, where I met her as she came to my church to present Word of Life’s Mission Reality work. I had been thinking about painting a portrait of Joan of Arc for ten years and was looking for the right face to come up, telling myself that I’d recognise it when I’d see it. When I saw Melissa, I soon recognised it. As she stood in front of the altar with the mission team, I noticed how she smiled and closed her eyes while singing, betraying her honest and intense devotion. I later read some poetry and reflections she had written and realised I wasn't mistaken about the depth of her faith:
"I'm starting to become incredibly grateful for this restlessness in my heart that comes every time I start turning to something other than God to satisfy me. The restlessness is put there by God as a way of calling me, drawing me back to him."
-Melissa Joy Dennison, Restless ?, November 2007

There is something about Bible students. I’m always spiritually stimulated when I meet one. As if there was some Holy Spirit fragrance about them. I think that being bathed in Scripture and enjoying Christian fellowship all the time sanctifies them in a special way.