Union Church of Istanbul

When we lived in Istanbul, we were a part of this amazing interdenominational international church called the Union Church of Istanbul. It’s located in the middle of a bustling, historical neighborhood in Istanbul (spoiler alert: most neighborhoods are both bustling and historical, but this one is particularly so).

Once leaving, they asked if I could do some commissions as gifts and also for them to create cards out of. With pleasure, of course!

I started out painting the inside of the chapel— a cozy, elegant pizza oven of a space, that crams as many as 200 bodies on Easter and Christmas, but usually holds around 50-75 internationals in the city. It was in this very chapel that we got married— I played piano and sang for the worship team— we spent many Sunday mornings being a part of something not religious, but sacred and spiritual.

The following features our Turkish cat Nadia, who happens to match the painting quite well.

To attend UCI or learn more about it, click here.

The second piece commissioned was a bit of a different view. The Union Han is a building belonging to the church that serves as office space as well as housing for those who work for the church. It has many purposes, and has belonged to the church for many years. If you walk up to the top of the building, there is a balcony that overlooks a great amount of Istanbul. You can only see this view if you go to something church-related that is located in the Upper Room of the building, so seeing this particular view is always a special occasion.

This view is especially cool because it encompasses so much of Istanbul. Inside the frame you can see the Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque, the shape of the Golden Horn, and the Galata Tower.

I’ve actually painted this view many times, but every time it turns out just a little bit different. I always enjoy playing with the lighting and warm. and cool tones in the scene. This one ended up being more warm in nature, because I wanted it to have the warmth of the community of the church we have so deeply experienced. I hope that was evident in the piece.

I enjoyed doing these two paintings so much, and am excited to sell prints of either or both of them! Card designs will be only going to the church, but prints are for everyone!