Art teacher Mr. Jesse Gradl at St. Marys Catholic Elementary School recently finished an art project with his fifth grade class based on a vintage prayer card image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd.
Mr. Gradl translated the image onto a larger scale canvas. The project theme was the relationship of believers with Jesus Christ is that of sheep to a shepherd. The Lord is our shepherd; we are his flock. The focus was to show the students how we can work together and collaborate on ideas to reach an end goal.
Mr. Gradl and the fifth graders worked on the project a total of 3 weeks in class, and a few recess sessions as well. The students used acrylic paint, and Mr. Gradl used a Montana Colors acrylic paint marker to complete his sections, as well as Montana Colors water based paint which was used for the stenciled background. The work was done on a 36×48” canvas.
This was Mr. Gradl’s first year teaching at St. Marys Catholic Elementary School and the fifth graders last year in the building. Mr. Gradl figured it was a great opportunity to work on a project, and then send the students off with a memory they will hopefully share for a long time.
Mr. Gradl holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Slippery Rock University. He has exhibited artwork both nationally and internationally, and has sold his work to private collectors in 8 different countries so far. Mr. Gradl owns Gallery 29 art studio here in St. Marys where he teaches group and private lessons to adults and kids. When not teaching Jesse enjoys spending time with his three boys and his wife Richelle who teaches Preschool at St. Marys Catholic Elementary School.
The painting will be displayed at Queen of the World Church the weekend of February 3rd-4th. Mrs. Deb Slay principal at St. Marys Catholic Elementary School plans to display the canvas permanently within the school for all to enjoy.
Mr. Gradl created a time lapse video of the class completing their project. There is a total of 6 hours worth of footage, divided into 47 video sections, all condensed into the 5 minute video. Most of the work was done after hours by Mr. Gradl. Thank you to Mr. Gradl and the 5th grade class for sharing such a beautiful memory and artwork with us. (Music provided by “the xx-intro”)
