The gift of art

Diocese of Knoxville priests, artist Clorinda Bell present Bishop Beckman with a special painting

By Bill Brewer

When Bishop Mark Beckman was announced in June as the Diocese of Knoxville’s fourth shepherd, the priests of the diocese agreed that a gift from the presbyterate to its new bishop was in order.

And they had just the right present in mind.

It would be a permanent keepsake for generations to come; it would be symbolic of the diocese; it would capture something very meaningful to East Tennessee’s soon-to-be-installed ordinary.

And even better: it would be “homemade.”

That is when Father Michael Cummins, representing his fellow priests, reached out to Clorinda Galdós Bell.

Mrs. Bell is a renowned artist who specializes in classic religious paintings. As a practicing Catholic, her inspiration comes from the rich imagery found in Catholicism, and her talent and skill originate from the Cuzco school of religious art she first learned from her father in her native Cuzco, Peru.

Mrs. Bell, her husband, and their son are members of St. Mary Parish in Oak Ridge, and they also frequently attend St. John Neumann Church in Farragut.

Mrs. Bell was excited at being commissioned by the Diocese of Knoxville’s priests to create something special for Bishop Beckman. She and Father Cummins put their heads together and arrived at just the right idea for the appropriate image.

During his ordination and installation Mass on July 26, Bishop Beckman told the congregation of his special devotion to St. Anne and St. Joachim, who were the Blessed Mother’s parents. In fact, the bishop selected July 26 for his ordination because that is the feast day of Sts. Anne and Joachim.

Now, it was up to Mrs. Bell to make the saints and their young daughter, Mary, come alive amid a scenic backdrop reminiscent of the Smoky Mountains with their lush foliage, including dogwood blooms, a flowing river, and a sweeping horizon.

The natural imagery is from the Diocese of Knoxville crest, which incorporates mountains, water, and the dogwood bloom as well as a large cross signifying the Catholic Church, three smaller crosses representing Tennessee’s three dioceses, and a railroad trestle in a nod to the Irish railroad workers who brought the Catholic faith to East Tennessee.

It took Mrs. Bell two months to transform the presbyterate’s idea into a colorful work of art, a project that couldn’t be completed in time for the ordination or any of the celebrations immediately following the installation.

But the priests realized they would be gathering for their annual fall convocation, and that would be a fitting time to unveil his gift.

So, on Oct. 22 Mrs. Bell joined the priests, who were assembled at the MeadowView Conference Resort & Convention Center in Kingsport. And to the unsuspecting bishop, the painting was presented in the presence of the diocese’s priests.

“I was very surprised. I had no idea that it was going to happen. One of the things that I love about it is it reminds me of the medieval art that has been done. When I was studying in seminary in Belgium, the scenes of the life of Christ were often painted with the cities of medieval Europe in the backdrop, the medieval dress, the medieval customs, the medieval cities and backgrounds and landscapes were where the biblical scenes were set,” Bishop Beckman said.

“With this particular painting, Clorinda did a beautiful job because the grandparents of Jesus and Mary are depicted in the Smoky Mountains. I think that is such a beautiful thing. In my mind, the whole thing about religious art is to connect where we are today with what’s happening in God’s sacred story,” he added. “An image like that brings the beautiful gift of the Holy Family to East Tennessee, and I love that.”

The bishop noted that the Peruvian Cuzco style of Mrs. Bell is unique.

“That is certainly something that adds a different and local touch based on the artist that we have right here. I love that,” Bishop Beckman continued.

He then singled out the priests for their considerate and thoughtful gift.

“It was such beautiful thoughtfulness on the part of the priests because I was ordained on that feast day of Sts. Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus. I will have this beautiful, visual reminder of my ordination day all the time I am bishop. So, I love that,” the bishop shared.

Mrs. Bell appreciates Bishop Beckman’s sentiments about the painting and expressed gratitude herself at being given the opportunity.

“It is an honor for me, and I am very thankful that Father Cummins trusts in my art and asked me to do it,” Mrs. Bell shared.

Father Cummins said several ideas were discussed before the priests settled on a painting by Mrs. Bell. Among them was a crosier. However, Diocese of Nashville Bishop J. Mark Spalding presented Bishop Beckman with a special crosier for Bishop Beckman’s ordination and installation.

“I was sitting in prayer one day, and the idea came of a painting. He had mentioned in his press conference that his ordination was going to be on the feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne, and he shared how that was a meaningful feast for him because of the influence of his grandparents. So, the idea came about that maybe we could do a painting of Sts. Joachim and Anne, then to combine it with the mountains of East Tennessee and the dogwood flowers,” Father Cummins explained.

“Clorinda Bell is a resident of our diocese. I contacted her from an article in The East Tennessee Catholic, and I remembered that she was with us. We talked, and she said yes, she would be willing to do this,” he added. “I’m more than pleased at how it turned out.”

While thrilled at being commissioned for such a distinctive project, Mrs. Bell relied heavily on her faith to inspire her as she studied how to blend Cuzco and East Tennessee cultures.

“It was an honor to do this for Bishop Mark Beckman,” Mrs. Bell said. “I required a lot of prayers to God, because it was the first time, and I didn’t know how it would turn out. I had the East Tennessee landscape in my mind, but I have never converted to art what I have seen here. It was a challenge.”

Mrs. Bell described how it was her first time blending the cultures of East Tennessee and the Cuzco style of painting. She is pleased with the end result, saying she was “very happy to do it.”

Mrs. Bell has achieved acclaim in other dioceses for her creative work. The Diocese of Nashville has five of her paintings. Churches in the Archdiocese of Atlanta also display her works of art. And Bishop Steven Lopes of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter has received one of Mrs. Bell’s paintings, too.

Some 30 of her paintings have been exhibited at the Tennessee Arts Commission Gallery in Nashville.

She remains dedicated to bringing the beautiful imagery of the Catholic faith to the canvas, and she hopes her paintings will continue to find homes in Catholic communities.

“At this point in my life, I realize how important it is to listen to God and know what it is that He wants us to do for Him, whether using your gifts for art, or for computer technology, or for medicine, just any blessing that God gives you to glorify Him and to expose Him to those who don’t yet know Him,” Mrs. Bell said.

She considers her work a form of evangelization where she can share the love of God through the beauty of the art.

“I am committed 100 percent to keep painting in this way,” she noted, giving another example of how her work has had an evangelical impact.

In 2016, her husband, Aaron, converted to Catholicism and joined the Church after witnessing her faith in action. Mr. Bell began RCIA classes at St. Mary, which led him to enter the Church at Easter vigil.

“My work is an example of our faith and how important that Catholic faith is. Faith is our Communion. Communion is different for us than for other denominations. It is unique, and you must experience it to explain why you are Catholic. That is the answer. My husband was curious, and I suggested that he go and explore. When he goes to church with us now, he is home,” Mrs. Bell shared.

Mrs. Bell began painting when she was age 11 and has spent the past 40 years perfecting that style. Her young son, Benjamin Christian, who is a high-school freshman, has expressed interest in painting, and she hopes he will continue the family’s creative legacy.

“He is very into oil painting, and he loves God. He is learning,” she said.

Mrs. Bell feels blessed to have the opportunity to share her faith and her passion with the world as she makes her home in Knoxville.

She now is just as comfortable creating art in East Tennessee as she was in Cuzco, and her paintings reflect that.

“I’m very thankful and very honored to be here in the United States, my second home, sharing this school of Cuzco style with the particular gold and the three-dimensional detail that is unique. But mostly it’s the expression of the faces in the paintings that I’m sharing now,” she said.

She shared another unique detail in the painting given to Bishop Beckman. Since the landscape in the painting is the mountains of East Tennessee, this work of art won’t be considered in the Cuzco style.

As she continues to share her faith in such an extraordinary way, Mrs. Bell may need to consider adding an East Tennessee style to the Cuzco school of art.

She certainly has a head start.

“I guess it will be an American painting,” she acknowledged while smiling. “That’s how God works. I can see how God put me here.”