Fr. Jose Gutiérrez is one of my favorite priest and importantly, he reminds me of my dad that they could be brothers! He blessed my dad 6 months before he died during their visit with us. Everytime I miss my dad – I run to Fr. Jose and all is well again.
In anticipation of Fr. Jose’s retirement, I actually started this 11″x14″ oil on linen painting in the summer of 2019. I kept getting delayed with other commissions with hard deadlines so I planned on revisiting it as often as I could. Finally, 2 years later, I finally finished his portrait! A little late for his retirement which in summer 2020, in the midst of the Covid 19 pandemic but better late than never.
His joyful reaction is always my reward. Praising God and praying the Lord will always bless Fr. Jose!!