Q: What is the theme of this print?

A: This print is part of a set of images associated with the painting of Enos. (See the commentary associated with Al Young’s oil painting entitled “And My Soul Hungered” – Enos.) The painting features the prayer that is central to his story. This print, and the other images in the set, feature the hunting.

I suppose that the theme of these illustrations has to do with the daily life—the ordinary pursuits, the interests, the likes and dislikes—that are part of even the most profoundly religious life. It’s easy to suppose that a religious life has only one day a week—a life of Sundays; however, the supposition fails to comprehend religion as well as Sunday, not to mention the rest of the week.

The Enos in these illustrations is the same throughout. The manly man pausing to listen in the forest is the same man kneeling in profound prayer. And his thoughts of sacred things—the words of his father—while he hunts are the same kind of thoughts that find expression in his prayers. The pursuits of daily life consist with the meditations and prayers of the heart. In fact, they consist with being a Christian every day of the week. Prayer is preparation for living, and living is preparation for prayer.

Q: How do you approach the task of composing an image?

A: For me, composition starts with a feeling that wants to be expressed. The orientation on that feeling remains consistent throughout the project, whether I’m making a costume element or working on the final stages of a painting. For example, the bow in this set of images is a bow of heroic style and proportions. The horn the figure carries at his side, peaking out from under his cloak, was similarly conceived and created. The feeling to be expressed in a final composition is part of every note in the score.

I work from models, and having created costume and accessories, the model is free to move about. As part of the shoots involved in this process, we explore a range of poses and moods. The result is often a wealth of insights into the subject. And one of the values of multiple insights is that the subject can be approached from multiple perspectives.

Enos is Enos whether he’s praying or shooting an arrow. Some people find him most approachable while he’s praying. Other people more readily identify with the hunter. A variety of windows onto this character means that not only can more people get to know him and his story, but a wider range of differently disposed people can find their way to prayer.

Q: Do you have any thoughts about what Enos is hunting?

A: Like each of us, he’s hunting one thing, but finds another. He thinks he’s hunting “beasts in the forests,” and he is, but he’s also in search of spiritual things—things by which to feed his soul. He’s searching for meaning in the every-day of living. And in that sense, the story of Enos is the story of each of us.