Hamburg artist Eric Armusik completed a large commission for St. Mary RC Parish in Hamburg. The painting is a 4 foot by 6 foot painting of the Baptism of Christ.
The painting was commissioned in 2017 and was recently unveiled on March 24. The painting was in the back of the church on display for holy week and permanently installed the first week of April.
“This painting is of the Baptism of Christ in the River Jordan,” said Armusik. “I feel honored to have been commissioned by my home parish to paint this beautiful painting. Everyone has been so supportive and encouraging throughout the process. I spent the months of January through March painting and building the frame. I have been creating this type of work for almost 25 years. Most times my clientele is from another part of the country or even the world. After working so hard on this painting it will be nice to be able to see it each week when I attend mass.”
According to his artist release, Armusik has been a professional artist for over 25 years and has been one of the premier religious painters in the world today. He is regularly commissioned to do paintings and churches for many international clients. Eric is a lifelong and practicing Catholic that became inspired as a child attending mass in several elaborately decorated cathedrals in northeast Pennsylvania where he grew up.
“I hope that my artwork will continue to inspire generations of parishioners bringing them closer to God. I believe that great art communicates to everyone no matter what their background. It should inspire us at a visceral level and open us up to a greater understanding of our faith,” he said. “I am very grateful for the opportunity and so thankful for all the positive response the painting has had so far.”
Eric also built the elaborate frame which measures 5.5 by 8 feet, drawing on his experiences working with his father in the carpentry trade when he was growing up. Combined with his skills as a traditional craftsman and drawing on his experiences studying in Italy during college, he provides a unique product not offered by many artists in his profession, according to his release.
He will be selling a limited edition of 100 signed giclee prints of this painting which are available for purchase on his website, ericarmusik.com.
