Christ and Art: A story of faith and creativity

By Sr. Florina Joseph, SCN

Jessie Guldevkar, a 26-year-old Catholic from Nagpur, India, evangelizes those near and far and preaches Christ through her works of art.

The first-born to her parents, Jessie grew up in humble surroundings. From a young age, she filled every empty space she could find with drawings. Little Jessie’s joy came from holding her tiny pencil, adding paint to her brush and laying it on plain spaces.

The Journey

Despite her love for art, Jessie set aside her passion during her teenage years. Her family couldn’t afford elementary art classes, and she didn’t see art as a sustainable career.

As the eldest child, she took on responsibilities that made pursuing her dreams difficult. After 10th grade, Jessie followed her peers' advice and enrolled in a polytechnic diploma, aiming to eventually pursue engineering, a field she believed would offer job security.

However, once she began her diploma, she quickly realized that this wasn’t her calling. Academic challenges set her back a year, and during this time, she began attending daily Mass and joined the Jesus Youth movement. She also got involved in Parish activities and out of interest began decorating the altar.

After graduating with her diploma, Jessie felt pressure to secure a job since her family couldn’t support her through further education. Jessie shared her struggles with a friend who unexpectedly offered to help her pursue a degree, an act she later described as “a concrete intervention from the Lord.”

While discerning her next steps in the chapel, Jessie thought of the parable of the hidden talents. She felt a divine calling to rekindle her love for art. Courageously, she chose to pursue a degree in fine arts at a college in Nagpur, where she returned to her creative roots.

Jessie's wall that contains her pieces of art.

Christ and Art

At first, Jessie’s paintings adorned her own room, strengthening her relationship with Christ each time she looked at them. Inspired to share that feeling with others, she began gifting her artwork as reminders of God’s goodness. Her work started to gain recognition, and friends encouraged her to turn her passion into a career.

“I want to glorify the Lord through my art,” says Jessie, in an interview with Vatican News. She believes God guided her to establish Christ and Art (Instagram), her platform for evangelizing through visual storytelling of saints and Bible verses.

“I’ve made friends with many saints. Each time I paint a saint, I get to know them better and love sharing their stories,” she reflects. Her work has helped others learn about lesser-known saints and their lives. Gifting these pieces brings Jessie “the purest form of joy.”

Jessie's painting of Christ's crucified feet

Some of her most powerful works, like her depiction of Christ’s crucified feet, emerged during times of personal struggle. This particular piece continues to remind her to surrender everything at the feet of the Lord.

Jessie has also created several pro-life paintings for the Jesus Youth conference “Jaago,” each inspired by her faith and experiences.

One of Jessie's pro-life paintings

Though her path as an artist comes with uncertainty, Jessie has seen her work flourish and trusts God for each new step.

“I’m not a great artist,” she remarks. “It’s always been about Christ. He is the center, and my art revolves around Him.”