Henry Ossawa Tanner

My husband who is a banjo player and I have been admiring Henry Ossawa Tanner's most famous painting, The Banjo Lesson.  I love the tenderness and emotion as well as the warm and cool lighting.

Tanner was the first black American painter to gain international acclaim.
  
 He moved to Paris in 1891 to study, and decided to stay there, being readily accepted in French artistic circles. His painting entitled Daniel in the Lions Den was accepted into the1896 Salon. He married Jessie Olsson, a white Swedish-American opera singer.  The son of a Minister, in his later years his subjects were Biblical.  I chose "Fishermen at Sea".

Luke 8: 23 - 25 But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy.  And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.  And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.

No matter what storms come our way we can have Jesus still our heart while we go through them.