Jesus, the Teenage Years
Pastel on sandpaper
24 x 28 in.

How come you never here about Jesus the teenager? It's a question I asked myself before starting this painting. You read about him as a child impressing the priests at the temple with his biblical knowledge, and we all know about him as an adult before being crucified. But you will find nothing written about him between the ages of 13- 24. Of course if you've ever raised a teenager you might know why. Look through the family photo album - lots of photos of your child from birth to about 10 years - then nothing until they graduate from high school. You remember when they were a child and how they wanted to help you clean up or rake leaves. They would cry if they couldn't go everywhere with you. At 16 or 17, they're embarrassed if their friends see them with you, and everything you think of doing together is just so boring.

You ask yourself, "Whatever happened to my little angel?" If they haven't run away or joined a cult they do come back to you at about 25. In fact, many of them grow up to be saints.