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Daniel Folta

@danielfolta

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Painter of Light
Storytelling through oil paintings
Commissions open
Art training @see_likeanartist

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I almost got the Nativity “wrong“
I’m painting the birth of Christ—but I almost missed the point entirely.

After studying Scripture, history, and archaeology, I got stuck trying to be accurate… trying not to offend… trying not to be wrong.

But in doing that, I nearly created a version of the nativity that painted Jesus into a world that didn’t need a savior.

This moment completely changed my composition, and found me adding layers of meaning that reflect a broken, desperate world in need of a Savior.

Sometimes in trying so hard not to be wrong… we miss what’s true. It’s easy to get lost in the technical questions and forget the simpler, more powerful meaning of Light breaking the darkness. Hope in a dire situation. A savior for a broken world.

This is the first of eight paintings from the Bible telling the gospel story. The other seven are still in the composition stage. They will be for sale after completion.

I am posting short, 3-4 min videos of my Nativity painting process & thoughts on my YouTube channel. Here on Instagram I’ll be posting shorter clips from those videos.

Thank you for all your prayers and encouragement!

#danielfolta #nativity #birthofjesus #biblepainting #christianart by @danielfolta

A golden light that never fades…

During a Gilbert family vacation to Hawaii in June of 2022 to celebrate Matt's parents’ 40th wedding anniversary, Matt had secretly cooked up a plan to get a wedding of his own. With the help and semi-secrecy of his family, a "family photoshoot" was devised for the night of June 18th, Matt's parents’ actual anniversary. Unsuspecting Mara was excited to get dressed up for pictures by the beach, while Matt was excited for other reasons. As the sun was setting behind a beautiful backdrop of two trees intertwined, Matt got down on a knee to ask for the same of Mara and Matt’s lives forever. After a champagne toast with family and a fancy dinner date on the water, the two were excited for all the future would hold for them.

This oil painting was Matt’s #weddinggift surprise for Mara, commemorating their joyful and dedicated love for each another: a golden light that never fades.

@mattgilbert3
@maraaisabel

Yes Forever, oil on linen, 36”x28”

#sunsetpainting #hawaiiansunset #maunalani #engagementpainting #weddingpainting #paintinglight #evolveartist #folta #danielfolta by @danielfolta

High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.

Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion.

The disciples woke him up, shouting,

“Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”

When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves,

“Silence! Be still!”

Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm.

Then he asked them,

“Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

The disciples were absolutely terrified.

“Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”

Mark 4, oil on linen, 3’x4’
@oldhollandcolours on @claessenscanvas

Prints available on my website.

#gospelofmark #jesuscalmsthestorm #peaceinchrist #peaceinthestorm #biblepainting #bibleart #jesuspainting #christianart #jesusart #contemporarypainting #folta #danielfolta by @danielfolta

How I use references (read caption)

To make original, realistic oil paintings I rely heavily on taking my own photo references. But I’m often unable to photograph the scenes or objects I want.

Even if I could photograph a donkey, it could be difficult to capture the right angle, perspective, and with the right lighting, not to mention colors.

This is where digital tools like Photoshop and Procreate are extremely helpful, to make alterations that I can easily change BEFORE I start painting.

Do your inventing in the references, not the painting.

I like to separate the reference/composition process from the painting process. If I had to give an important speech, I could write out my script in advance, carefully selecting and editing the right words… so that by the time I was giving the speech, I could focus more on how I deliver those words, with the right emphasis and pause… the right brush strokes and harmony of colors.

In the same way I strive to get my reference as close as possible to my vision for the painting.

When combining multiple references, like adding a donkey to this scene, the most important thing is getting the right angle / perspective. You can see I opted for a photo of a donkey at the angle I needed, even though the lighting and colors on the donkey were incorrect.

Second is lighting. The shapes of light MUST be consistent with the light sources, or it will ruin the illusion of realism. I often have to manually digitally paint the shapes of light from imagination.

Third is the overall values and colors “mixing” with the colors of the object itself. This can be done with adjustment layers in editing software.

Regarding form vs texture - form is much more important. It’s easier to invent the texture than to invent a 3D illusion from imagination.

For those who don’t know, I offer one to one coaching on things like this and more. Reach out any time if you’re interested. by @danielfolta

This donkey means more than you might think in this nativity painting.

We are familiar with how the donkey reminds us of the travels Joseph and Mary took to Bethlehem and their flight to Egypt, and even also of Christ’s triumphal entry as a humble king entering Jerusalem, where he would be crucified 5 days later. But there’s more.

Balaam’s donkey in Numbers 22-24 provides another picture of the gospel.

The donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in judgment and turned aside to save Balaam’s life. Instead of gratitude, the donkey was beaten for protecting him.

Jesus came to save humanity from death and judgment, yet he too was struck, mocked, and crucified by the very people he came to rescue.

Once again we find the gospel woven into the nativity, Christ’s entry into the world he came to save.

While the lamb reminds us of Christ’s sacrifice, the people did not technically offer Christ as a sacrifice to God for atonement: they instead crucified him, in completely oblivious to God’s saving hand.

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34

Notice how the donkey is visually placed in front of the manger, referencing this verse:

“The ox knows its master, the donkey its owner’s manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.” Isaiah 1:3 NIV

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.” Isaiah 55:8

Funny enough, I was not conscious of how the donkey connected to the manger nor was I aware of the connection to Balaam’s donkey. I was just thinking that I needed a donkey because it’s commonly in nativity paintings! It’s as though I am ignorantly making this painting and then even as I stumble my way through it, God then reveals the meaning of this painting to me.

So for anyone thinking “wow Daniel thought this whole composition through with so much meaning!” … I can’t take credit for that. Sure I have thought a lot, but it is God working through me and especially through my ignorance that this painting has pointed to the gospel in pretty much every symbol. God be praised.

#christianart #nativity #biblepainting #danielfolta #narrativ by @danielfolta

Painting a stable, a cave, or… both?

There are lots of caves in Bethlehem and it appears they were often used for the lower level of homes, which is where they also kept animals.

Justin Martyr was convinced Jesus was born in a cave (150 AD), and there’s also much more meaning in a cave than a stable.

Let’s reflect on how caves carry meaning throughout Scripture.

David hid in caves. Prophets fled to caves. The dead were buried in caves.

Yet even in those dark places, God was present.

Christ was born in a cave-like shelter and later laid in a tomb carved from stone.

The story begins in the earth and ends with the stone rolled away.

I used references from the Church of the Nativity and shepherds’ caves near Bethlehem to construct the cave around Jesus, Joseph and Mary. This is an area where, as much as I’d like to get the cave exactly as it was or could have been, it is better to focus on using the shapes of the rock to tell the story and convey the meaning, which matters much more.

#nativitypainting #christianartist #jesus #sacredart by @danielfolta

Painting communion 🍷 into the nativity

The manger is a feeding trough. Christ enters the world placed where animals would eat — a quiet image of the Bread of Life. The grapes echoes the Lord’s Supper, where Christ offers Himself for the life of the world.

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” John 6:51

Even at His birth, the story was already pointing toward sacrifice, redemption, and fellowship with God.

The light shining down on the manger helps connect the “bread that came down from heaven” with the manna that the Israelites received as their “daily bread” in the wilderness.

While the Lord’s Supper points to Christ’s giving up of himself on the cross, it also points us to our daily bread: daily communion with and sustenance from God, and communion with God’s people as we journey through the “wilderness” together.

In studying this painting and another painting referencing communion, I’ve personally become more convinced of the significance and importance of eating the bread that is Christ. Regardless of what your stance on the presence is, the imagery and layers of meaning alone are so powerful and important that I find the entire gospel in the act of communion.

There’s something really unsettling about consuming the sacrificed flesh of Jesus. It feels unjust to accept the death of someone who died so I could live. It feels more just that I should be given what I deserve, which is death. To accept Christ, I have to both accept my guilt, and the love. But I want to run from my guilt, and how could I be loved?

Those are the thoughts I wrestle with when I contemplate communion. But I find comfort in how Peter responded to Jesus after hearing that he had to eat Christ’s flesh:

“After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” by @danielfolta

One bag. Three journeys

In this nativity painting, I added a simple travel bag near Joseph and Mary. It carries three stories from Scripture.

This bag just made the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem where Christ was born, fulfilling prophecy about the Messiah.

The bag also foreshadows the flight into Egypt, when Mary and Joseph fled to protect Jesus from Herod’s massacre of the innocents.

And it echoes Israel’s own flight from Egypt during the Exodus. This recalls the faithfulness of God to save, and reminds us that we ourselves are on a journey to our promised land — our eternal home with God in the New Earth.

I hope this painting helps us feel the gravity of the birth of Christ. This event is the culmination of a long-awaited hope, that was carried from generation to generation, through a nation-wide migration, through conquest, through the rising and falling of kings, multiple exiles, and centuries of oppression. The same God who led Israel through the wilderness, the same God who felt so distant through Greek and Roman oppression, now enters that same human story Himself.

The shepherd staff’s proximity to the bag reinforces these journeys, and also recalls verses like “thy rod and thy staff comfort me” in Psalm 23. And, God revealed the coming of Christ not to the wise and learned, but to shepherds. Jesus himself declares, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”John‬ ‭10‬:‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Honestly when I started this painting I had no idea how many references to salvation there really were through this fairly simple nativity depiction. The Bible has been coming alive to me as I contemplate these symbols.

Next up: the manger 🌾 grapes 🍇 and the donkey 🫏

#nativity #christianart #oilpainting #biblicalart #sacredart by @danielfolta

Why I’m painting wolves in the nativity…

Scripture often uses wolves to represent those who destroy, scatter, and devour. And in the story of Christ’s birth, that darkness is real. Not long after this moment, King Herod’s massacre of the innocents reveals just how deep human evil can run. The killing of babies is as real today as it was then, if not even more.

In the last 12 months I have never been more aware of the evil and darkness all around us. It’s hard not to despair. And the evil isn’t just “out there.” The wolves reflect something in all of us.

But, there is hope. In light of how wolves are referenced to the slaughter of innocent children, look at these incredible verses:

“The wolf shall dwell with the lamb… and a little child shall lead them.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭11‬:‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity, for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord, and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,” says the Lord.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭65‬:‭23‬-‭25‬ ‭ESV‬‬

We shall not bear children for calamity. A little child shall lead them. What incredible hope rests in these verses.

I referenced King Manasseh - the most evil king of Judah - but amazingly, even he was forgiven by God when he asked for mercy.

The nativity isn’t only about peace—it’s about why we need a Savior in the first place. Into a world of great cruelty, Christ was born.

And he did it in the most incredible way. Taking on our suffering and dying the death of the innocents, like a lamb at the hands of wolves.

Wrestle as we might with the amount of suffering in this world… God does understand our suffering. So much so that he took it upon himself, to rescue us from it.

Praise God.
#christianart #nativity #bibleart #artprocess #oilpainting by @danielfolta

Light mixes differently than paint. With paint, yellow and purple make gray. But with light, the colors tend to arc in hue, going from yellow to orange to red to purple.

Because of this it’s important to watch how your paint mixes and blends with other paint. If you rush the color mixing, you can easily end up with a muddy painting.

In painting this ram, I aired on the side of muted values that they wouldn’t be too distracting compared to Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Painting the horns turned out to be really fun - I didn’t have a drawing to guide my marks, but just by painting the light I was able to create a believable impression.

#danielfolta #nativity #christianart #colortheory #colormixing by @danielfolta

Painting the lamb as a…ram?

Sometimes my mistakes lead me to better paintings. I had originally planned on painting a newborn lamb, but then realized it wouldn’t be tall enough for where I wanted it in my composition. But as I researched biblically accurate lambs for sacrifice, I found more meaning than I first expected.

In this nativity painting, this lamb quietly foreshadows Christ, the Lamb of God, born to be sacrificed.

Depicting the lamb as a one year old Awassi ram with horns is more fitting for the biblical requirements of the Passover Lamb (Ex 12:5).

And the image of a ram recalls the Sacrifice of Isaac, who was saved by God and provided a ram in the thicket (Gen 22). This is a beautiful foreshadowing of John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son…”

All this brings me to awe in the authorship of God. Foreshadowings over two thousand years old culminating at the birth of Christ. In the greatest story ever told, we are at the cusp of realization: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!” (John 1:29)

#christianart #sacredart #bibleart #nativity #narrativepainting by @danielfolta

Painting an eye with no reference… bad idea? 😬

My underdrawing was off and I had no reference to rely on, so I had to paint this eye freehand. Knowing how many times I’ve failed when painting without reference, this was very nerve wracking. How did this happen??

1. In the reference I started with, the eye wasn’t looking up enough to the light. Also, the eye was very sunken in, while more Middle-Eastern eyes tend to have heavier eyelids. These two factors helped me make the last minute decision to depart from my original photo reference & drawing. I’m prioritizing meaning over perfect realism.

2. Ideally, the next best thing would be to take a new photo of a different model in the same position. But, as I am currently in rural TN, Middle-Eastern models are not easily available.

3. I practiced the eye by painting in digital. This gave me some confidence, though my digital attempt was far from perfect.

4. Instead of chasing perfect details or textured brushwork, I focused on something more fundamental: how the light captures form. That’s why he’s missing eyelashes and an eyebrow. Simplifying the problem makes it achievable, and I can refine details in subsequent layers.

The thoughts I shared in the video are my raw, rattled thoughts right after painting the eye and not getting as far as I hoped. As I write this now, I am at much more peace about where it currently is and the direction it needs to go.

And as stressful as it was, painting without reference is fun! It forces you to “sculpt” with paint, pushing and pulling shapes into a 3-dimensional impression. Quite thrilling 🤓

#oilpainting #paintingprocess #classicalpainting #fineart #paintingeyes by @danielfolta