HOPE IN ART

This is the last in our series of contemporary American Catholic women artists (at least for now).

I grew up under the care of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet (L.A.) and have great regard for their fine education. Unlike many teaching orders when I was a child, these women were highly

educated and instilled in us, even back to first and second grade, a love of learning - something absent in much of our education system today.

ANSGAR HOLMBERG, CSJ, studied with Ade Bethune, but her own art moves in a different direction.  Her colorful works are more reminiscent of folk art than conventional religious images.  She does not create for a liturgical purpose; rather, her art results from her own spiritual journey and life changes.  Her interpretations of themes are not fixed in the manner of Icons, but ever changing through time. 

At 77, Sister Ansgar  is happier than she's ever been. The religious life she chose as an 18-year-old still fits. The art she enjoyed as a young nun has become a vital expression of her faith.

Occasionally, an educational purpose sneaks into her work. 

Root of Jesse

Her award-winning folk art flows from a buoyant spirit and serious convictions about care of the Earth and the least among us, a clear reflection of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet's mission "to love God and neighbor without distinction." 

 

O Adonai

In her painting, Sister finds the process so soothing that it is at times  a "retreat." Art, she explains, is a form of prayer; it both demonstrates and deepens her faith. "There's no separation.”
 

Her vibrant colors bring hope !

 

Gospel According to St. John