St. Kateri Tekakwitha Oil Painting
Artist: Kevin Pawlowski (Georgia US, 1968- )
Title: St. Kateri Tekakwitha
Medium: Oil paint on canvas
Size of Original: 16” x 20” x 3/4” (41cm x 51cm x 2cm)
Date: 2025
Availability: Original and reproductions available.
Rendered in contemporary realism, this original oil painting offers a deeply reverent portrait of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American saint. Seated humbly upon the earth, Kateri is depicted surrounded by a tangle of harsh thorns and blooming white lilies, bringing to life the scriptural line, “Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the maidens” from the Song of Solomon.
Kateri holds a crucifix while modestly raising her headscarf, a subtle gesture that reflects both her personal humility and the gentle concealing of her smallpox scars. Set against a serene landscape of upstate New York, complete with slender birch trees, soft rolling hills, and diffused golden light, Pawlowski balances lifelike detail with expressive, painterly brushwork. The result honors both her profound Catholic faith and her Native heritage.
Available as the original oil painting on canvas or in fine museum-quality giclée reproductions.
Lily Among Thorns: Inside the Creation of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Painting
The Saint Kateri Tekakwitha oil painting by Kevin Pawlowski, on display at the Sacred Art Gallery, captures the first Native American saint with a quiet reverence and emotional depth that mirrors her life. Rendered in contemporary realism, Pawlowski balances lifelike detail with expressive brushwork…
About the artist…
Kevin Pawlowski
Paradise Found Studio LLC
Kevin Pawlowski is a Roman Catholic artist based in Woodstock, GA, a northern suburb of Atlanta. His studio, Paradise Found Studio LLC, creates a wide variety of original paintings and reproductions, all of which are available at the Sacred Art Gallery.
Kevin specializes in sacred subjects rendered in oil paint and stained glass mosaic. He reimagines traditional Christian themes by incorporating symbology drawn from meticulous research and infusing each piece with a modern sensibility. The result is a collection of breathtaking images that honor traditional religious and historical contexts while maintaining a fresh, contemporary appeal.
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