Meet St. Louis-based Artist Evelyn Astegno

Evelyn Astegno is a painter and devotional artist based in St. Louis. She also sings in her church’s choir. You can find out more about her on Facebook and her website.

CATHOLIC ARTIST CONNECTION: How do understand your vocation as a Catholic artist?

EVELYN ASTEGNO: I would call myself a Catholic artist because even if not all my artworks topics are strictly religious, I aim to convey the love, hope, truth, and beauty that are Christian and specifically Catholic, in all of my paintings. At the least, I’m not willing to depict anything that goes against my beliefs. Particularly, in my devotional paintings, while following my inspiration, I make sure that the iconography and messages I chose follow the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church. In my younger years I would paint sacred art occasionally. However, about five years ago, after a friend of mine challenged me to paint a Crucifixion, I started developing a special urge to communicate God’s love to people, through religious paintings. Since then I wanted to show some of the many ways God loves us and invites us to His love, even when it’s extremely demanding. Sometimes, we are not aware of His infinite unconditional love because it’s a vision too wide to see when our eyes (hearts) are not open enough.

How do you choose the subjects of your devotional art?

I usually don’t choose the topics of these paintings. I ask friends, family and other people if they have a sacred thematic that they particularly cherish (even if they are not commissioning the painting). It can be related to Jesus Himself, passages of the Bible, a saint, or anything sacred. Then I put my effort into developing the subject in a way that it should speak to the viewer along the lines of the aim I just described. I research as much as possible around the subject until my thoughts translate into an image. I try to connect the elements of the composition in a communicative way. And I make sure the whole meaning and the different parts and symbols are aligned to the doctrine of the Church. Until now in this devotional series, I chose to have the protagonists of the paintings look directly at the viewers with a loving gaze and a welcoming gesture of their right hand. Probably not all of my future devotional or sacred paintings are going to follow the same pattern but I’d like to keep it as a general guide.

Where have you found support in the Church for your vocation as an artist?

I’ve had the chance to display all my devotional paintings in different churches in my city, including the exquisite Basilica Cathedral of St Louis, and give a lecture on my Marian paintings at the old Cathedral. The displays have been set for a few days each time in occurrence with some Catholic liturgical Feasts, as an invitation for parishioners and visitors to meditate on the Word, Life, and Love of the Lord.

Where in your city do you regularly find spiritual fulfillment?

I attend Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish in O’Fallon, Missouri. I cherish the friendliness and liveliness of it. I am a member of the church choir (as a soprano: I love singing as well as painting although I don’t have the same experience). It’s good to serve the community while gaining some confidence. Also this year I’m participating in my second women’s retreat in the parish. I recommend this experience to everyone, although we each get individually “tailored” benefits out of it. I also like to visit the Basilica Cathedral of St Louis to get spiritual and artistic inspiration.

Describe a recent day in which you were most completely living out your vocation as an artist.

I like to recall this episode from time to time although I had the grace to experience others alike. Last year, I was working on my “Conversion of St Francis” painting. I had been working on and off on it, for various months. I had a strong general idea of it but I had added new significant elements along the process, also thanks to my cousin, Sister Francesca, who gave me very precious insights. The process seemed dragging though and I wasn’t sure about the rendering of some parts, which I kept changing and overworking on. My painting was in that infamous “ugly phase.” Not only that, but I didn’t know if it was going to communicate what was in my purpose, if the different elements were really connecting and helping one other to highlight the overall meaning. I wondered if God really wanted me to make that painting and in general, if he wanted me to make sacred art or if it was just an arrogant desire of mine. I sent a message to Sister Francesca describing my struggle to her. She replied promptly in a joyful way saying that what I was going through was a clear sign that I had to keep going. I remember smiling and not caring about anything, except for focusing on doing my best on the painting. As I kept going, the painting started looking better, richer, and more alive. At the very end I added a couple of glazings that made it look more magnetic. I reached that point where I couldn’t go on anymore and decided that it was finished, no matter how imperfect it was. As soon as I posted the photo of the painting on social media, a lady contacted me to buy it right away as it “was speaking to her soul” and it touched her in a deep spiritual way.