When Mark Hatfield sits down to paint, he prays first, seeking guidance for the art he says is an outlet for his spirituality.
"When I hit a trouble spot I try to let God take over instead of keeping control myself," he said. "That's hard to do when you're doing something artistic -- you want to keep control -- but there's such freedom when I give up control to God."
The results of the artist's prayer, "Theology in Color," are hanging on the walls of the Carroll County Arts Council gallery in Westminster through Dec. 23, his first solo show in an eight-year career.
It appears that his work is already a success. At an opening reception for the exhibition last Sunday, Mr. Hatfield sold six of the 15 paintings and drawings that make up the thematic show.
All but one of the pieces are semi-abstract nude figures of women, many taken from Biblical stories, and boldly colored in bright reds, pinks, blues, greens and yellows.
"Figures interest me a great deal because of the subject -- there's something really beautiful about the creation of human beings," the 25-year-old artist said.
The portrayal of women in the Bible also fascinates him, Mr. Hatfield said.
The largest painting, "Gift II," shows a woman reclining on a bed. She is Salome, the woman who danced for Herod after he offered her half his kingdom. Instead, she asked for the head of John the Baptist on a plate.
Mr. Hatfield's artistic translation has her waiting for her wish to be fulfilled.
Another painting depicts Mary Magdelene's joy when Christ comes to her at his tomb and she realizes he is indeed risen. A small pastel piece has a dream-like quality, representing Mary's calm reaction to the angel telling her that she would be the mother of God's son.
"A lot of women in scripture didn't even have a name and they were treated like second-class citizens, which wasn't the way Christ treated them," Mr. Hatfield said. "I think women play an important role in spirituality."
When Mr. Hatfield started doing the paintings, his objective was "to try to express the intangible spiritual quality through a tangible, physical means, and to try to express that to the viewer."
I'm trying to look at the people as God looks at us -- at the heart of the person -- and that's why the color," he said. "It's hard to express spirituality, but color has an affect on people and I've read about how different colors affect people."
Mr. Hatfield is married to Hilary Hatfield, director of the Carroll County Arts Council. Mr. Hatfield has a studio at their home in in Union Bridge.
"If I could help someone understand their spiritual quest and search for God through my art, that would mean success for me," Mr. Hatfield said.
The Carroll County Arts Council gallery is at 15 E. Main Street in Westminster. Call 876-8550 or 848-7272 for more information.