Matthew Sestak painting Saint Nicholas.
Brother Matthew Sestak, a world history and psychology teacher in Nebraska, has found a love for painting Catholic icons. He was first exposed to the art of painting in high school. His art teacher at the time left an impression on him through his faith and love for Jesus Christ. Matthew recalls him being a helpful and kind man who was filled with faith and inspiration.
Later, Matthew pursued teaching as a career and learned a lot about the art of painting along the way. It may have been his past art teacher’s impression on his life that indirectly influenced him to take this path. He now inspires students as his teacher once inspired him.
It was in 2018 that Matthew painted his first icon. However, it wasn’t until the fall of 2021 that he began working diligently toward producing paintings for friends and family. When asked what inspired his interest in painting Catholic icons, Matthew reflected on a trip to the Holy Land in 2018.
The Holy Land attracts religious visitors due to its biblical background. It is a mesmerizing experience to visit sites in today’s world known for biblical occurrences. The Holy Land is an area in Jerusalem, a city located in the Middle East between the Mediterranean and the eastern bank of the Jordan River. Traditionally, the River of Jordan contains Holy water due to the river symbolizing Jesus Christ’s baptism site. Upon visiting this location on a trip with friends, Matthew collected a small amount of the Holy water to take back home, something many visitors often do. When he returned home, he saw an opportunity to put it to good use. He now puts a few drops of Holy water in the paint he uses for religious icon paintings. Each brushstroke and every detail are a prayer that the recipient of his painting will see themselves as worthy. Matthew will continue this practice for as long as he has the collected Holy water in his possession.
Each painting takes him about two weeks to finish, working about three to six hours a day. Matthew begins by painting the icon's body and working his way up to the subject's face. He prefers to finalize the artwork with the face and background. Matthew compares this act to “painting down from Earth and up toward Heaven.” This is a technique that he has developed due to his own preferences. However, the best practices of painting that we typically learn when studying brush stroke technique might point you in a different direction. Typically, it is best to paint the background before the main focus as it prevents smears in the paint from occurring. All artists develop their own unique techniques. Matthew is a great example of an artist who has found significance in his own process.
Matthew chose to paint an image of St. Thomas Aquinas, pictured below, as a gift to the Fraternity. The reasoning behind this thoughtful gift has to do with the Fraternity’s motto, “Give, Expecting Nothing Thereof…” a phrase coined by this Catholic icon. The painting will be gifted to Kevin Lampe (Western Illinois University, ’83), who will be presented with the Edward R. Solvibile Distinguished Service Award at this year’s Biennial Convention for exemplifying the motto throughout his service to the Fraternity.
As an artist, it is easy for Matthew to see his mistakes or how things could have been better. He takes this opportunity to remind the reader of this article that if you give all the credit to Christ, you will be surprised at how far you will go. Take a leap of faith and diligently work toward doing the things you love, even if you could be better at it.
