Watch

Making the Saints Come Alive through Modern Icons

Creator:
Published:
April 8, 2024
December 7, 2020
Meet the artist who paints modern saints who were alive centuries ago.

Gracie Morbitzer paints saints like you've never seen them before. With each carefully designed icon, she makes the saints come alive in a powerful, relatable way.

"I think what I really wanted to do was just show people that even now you can be a saint," Gracie shares. "No matter what you're really passionate about, you can use that thing for bringing goodness and love into the world."

Video Transcript

Meet Gracie: icon painter

(painted images of various saints)

Gracie Morbitzer: You know, the saints were really human and so much more relatable than we ever could realize. Sometimes it's really hard to do because either it was so long ago or they did such amazing things. So I think just having this way to try and connect people to those stories and to have them look more like them, so that it's more of a way that they can understand.

Gracie’s icons portray saints in a modern style while preserving their ethnicities.

(Gracie paints saint icon)

It was so fun and exciting to try and figure out — what can I pick out about this saint's story that reminds me of somebody that I know today? Or if they were living today, what would their lives be the equivalent of in the 2000s?

Trying to figure out what expression they would have based off of the majority of the things that happened to them or a very pivotal moment. Clothing based on whether it seems like they'd be a shyer, more reserved person or a very hardworking, business-type person.

Some of them are just always pictured with certain symbols — John the Baptist with a shell for baptism. So he has a tattoo in my version of the shell. St. Denis was beheaded and kept preaching while carrying his head, which is a very strange story. But for that reason, I put him in a turtleneck, not able to think of any other way to show that that wasn't disgusting (laughs).

I think what I really wanted to do was just show people that even now you can be a saint, I think whenever we picture saints they're always in robes.

No matter what you're really good at or no matter what you're really passionate about, you can use that thing for your faith and for bringing goodness and love into the world. We're going to need a saint of computer programming and we're going to need a saint of lacrosse and basketball. And so if those are the things that you're good at, then you can use those things also to make the world a better place.

(Pan over of Gracie’s artwork)

My website is just themodernsaints.com, all one word, no spaces. And then I also have prints available on Etsy, which is also just ‘The Modern Saints’ store.

Creators:
Grotto
Published:
April 8, 2024
December 7, 2020
On a related note...
Seeking Answers When a Friend Dies

Seeking Answers When a Friend Dies

Mike Tenney

Meet the Veteran Giving Out Free Cold Brew

Meet the Veteran Giving Out Free Cold Brew

Grotto

How Baseball Teams Celebrate Mass During the Season

How Baseball Teams Celebrate Mass During the Season

Grotto Shares

Zac Efron Explores the Power of Prayer in New Wellness Show

Zac Efron Explores the Power of Prayer in New Wellness Show

Grotto Shares

All She Ever Knew was Immense Love

All She Ever Knew was Immense Love

Michelle King

Saint Stephen Spotify Playlist | #GrottoMusic

Saint Stephen Spotify Playlist | #GrottoMusic

Grotto

Start Your Day With These Yoga Postures

Start Your Day With These Yoga Postures

Hanna Van Elk

How I Made Friends When I Came Back to Church

How I Made Friends When I Came Back to Church

Emily Mae Mentock

5 Architecture & Travel Instas to Beautify Your Feed

5 Architecture & Travel Instas to Beautify Your Feed

Gabriella Patti

Working Toward Nuclear Disarmament and World Peace

Working Toward Nuclear Disarmament and World Peace

Grotto

3 Celebrities Who Were Tuned Into the Supernatural

3 Celebrities Who Were Tuned Into the Supernatural

Grotto

Painting the Stations of the Cross

Painting the Stations of the Cross

Grotto

"Father of Three Daughters"

"Father of Three Daughters"

Judith Sornberger

The Bergamot Band Sings Message of Hope

The Bergamot Band Sings Message of Hope

Grotto

The Complete Guide to Hosting a Dinner Party

The Complete Guide to Hosting a Dinner Party

Lauren Lawson

This Podcast Explores the Deepest Questions We Can Ask

This Podcast Explores the Deepest Questions We Can Ask

Cate Von Dohlen

How and Why Slow Living Makes You Happier

How and Why Slow Living Makes You Happier

Sophie Caldecott

Seeking Christ in Times of Suffering

Seeking Christ in Times of Suffering

Kate Fowler

3 Reasons to Walk the Camino

3 Reasons to Walk the Camino

Erin Aucar

Grotto’s Travel Guide to Nashville

Grotto’s Travel Guide to Nashville

Andrew Mentock

newsletter

We’d love to be pals.

Sign up for our newsletter, and we’ll meet you in your inbox each week.