Dear Mr. George,
I wanted to share this with you . . .
My husband had knee surgery on Wednesday, so I couldn't go for the entire weekend to the Marian Conference in St. Louis. He said he would be fine with the help of a couple of our daughters in my absence. A couple of friends and I came up Saturday from Jeff City, and when I saw the booth with your paintings, I was awestruck. They are beautiful!!! I told your son (John Paul--I asked him if he was named after Pope John Paul and he said yes!) that I was very picky about my Jesus and Mary pictures and statues. I look long and hard for ones with faces (and especially eyes) that really look like how I would picture them. We had a conversation about your work and I told him I recognized the one painting of Mary (the one of the place NEAR Medjugorje).
But I didn't know who the artist was. After a few minutes of talking to him, and telling him I didn't know the RL George name, I asked him if he actually KNEW you. I thought he was just a vendor, selling your artwork. He said, "He's my dad." I can't tell you why I became so emotional at those words, but I started crying and it took me a while to get composed. Perhaps it was because I was thinking how blessed he was to have a DAD who painted pictures of Jesus and Mary!!!! Your wife (who I didn't yet know was your wife) put her arms around me and hugged me. I then said, "And you are his wife?" She said yes, and I again became emotional, thinking how blessed she was to have a husband who painted pictures of Jesus and Mary!!! She handed me a holy card of Mary, and I told her thank you, but I wanted to buy the large pictures. I did! They are all so beautiful that it took me so long to decide, but I got the canvas 11 x14 (I think that size) one of Our Lady of Medjugorje and the Holy Face of Jesus, same size. I am going to put them in our sun room where all of my family is most of the time when they come to visit!!! I also got some notecards of the Divine Mercy image. I love it so much more than the one that Sister Faustina had painted. It was the eyes and face in Faustina's one that just didn't look like MY Jesus!
I was telling Margaret that I had 8 kids (and they told me there are 8 children in your family too!!) and 19 grandkids, and one of my grandkids told me I had 38 pictures of Jesus in my house!! :-) Margaret smiled and asked if it was a boy, and I said yes! My 16 year old grandson! I wanted to tell you that your wife and son are beautiful--inside and out. IN my short conversations with them, I could tell they were such good and holy people. Your son has the most beautiful eyes, and I told him if he had long hair he would look like Jesus. He is such a handsome and kind young man, and has a beautiful smile and polite manner. As far as your work, you do such an amazing job of making Jesus and Mary look so real (again, the eyes) that it brought tears to my eyes. Some artists have beautiful paintings of Jesus, but often their eyes are looking away--so they don't have to exactly get the "Jesus look" in the eyes. THere is one pretty recent painting of the Last Supper, and I loved it--except Jesus (and his eyes) does not look like I would picture Him. I don't know what the rest of your kids look like, but your son, John Paul could be the "eyes" artist model for Jesus. And I did visit the other booths at the conference, but I kept being drawn back to your booth. I felt almost a holy presence while standing there . . . .
And after Fr. Calloway's talk, I came back to the booth and bought a couple of those little wood hinged items (Margaret said John Paul and a brother came up with that idea!) I actually had a dream last night that I looked on the internet to see a picture of your family--but I didn't!! I got home at almost midnight! But I saw in my dream a bunch of beautiful kids!! :-) Mine range in age from 27 to 45 . . . time goes so fast. Anyway, I won't take up anymore of your time, but wanted you to know that I am so grateful that I got to attend this conference on Saturday, especially since I got to see your works. You are so gifted. God has truly blessed your hands!! And I might like to display a painting of the Holy Family if you ever paint one of that!! :-) Fr. Calloway said Joseph is often depicted as an old man, but he was NOT! He was a handsome--just a bit older--foster father of Jesus!! God bless you and Margaret and John Paul--and all your family! And maybe I will see you or part of your family at next year's Conference in ST. Louis!!!
-Thank you!! Donna B.
