The "So...What Do You Think God Looks Like? - Part II" Story

Mr. "D" in room 307.

It was an ordinary day.  Just removed the painting off the wall titled "Sangre de Christo" that was given to me years ago by Neil Dreibelbis.  Thought I would take a photo of it to share plus I just knew I would find the answer to the question I posed to you yesterday about what "God looks like" by studying the painting.  Neil, known to all as Mr. D, taught art in Room 307, right next to my Graphic Arts room at Manheim Township High School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  He loved his students who in turn reciprocated with their love.  He had big shoes to fill when he first came to MTHS, having to replace Richard Miller, a legend in the art department at the high school.  I had Mr. Miller when I was an art student in the late 1950s for a few years at the school and gained many of my artistic skills from him.  When I received the artwork from Neil, I knew immediately how to frame it.  

My piece of art framed with a cross motif.

The artwork just screamed "cross" so I designed it with a double mat with a cross cut from the top mat.  Instead of a blood red suede top mat I chose a more subtle deep maroon.  I tell you this since "Sangre" means "Blood" in Spanish while "de Christo" means "of Christ".  As I looked  at it I realized after a few minutes that Neil had absolutely no idea what features to place on the face in the painting.  Would it be a Hispanic face?  How about a face with Oriental features.  Maybe rugged mountain man face.  Could even be a dark-skinned face.  

Closeup of the piece of art.  Click on it to enlarge.

So, I came to the conclusion that Neal had no idea whose face to paint on it since he had never seen God in person or even a photograph of him.  Hey, that's what made his artwork more mystic and "religious."  It can be a God to all those who view the work which I keep inside my front door.  After one last glance at Neil's work of art I stopped and noticed something I had not seen before.  A second face over the original face.  

Neil's business card.  Listed as a visual artist.
Maybe he knows something we don't about God!

Did he really paint it that way?  Did God guide his brush as he painted the dark-skinned face with long white beard?  Was there a larger "crown of thorns" on this face?  But wait.  As I was closing my eyes to try to visualize the new face, I saw another one mid-left.  Perhaps I better stop before I see more in the painting than Neil had intended.  Maybe as you view the painting that is only about 6" in width and 4" in height, you will visualize an entirely different piece of art than I have.  I plan on making a visit to see Neal this coming summer and will take it with me to ask if he actually knew what God looked like when he painted the piece for me.  What a breakthrough that would be, for I'm not sure anyone has ever seen God and lived to tell about it.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.