"PAINTING PREACHER" PRESENTS POWERFUL SERMONS WITHOUT WORDS

THEN, DECEMBER 1996: Artist Mauricio Palacio was bringing a whole new meaning to the term "illustrated sermon" - by painting a message from God, instead of preaching it.

Swapping the pulpit for an easel, Palacio worked on a giant picture in front of the congregation, capturing in acrylics the images he received while praying, as the American churchgoers prayed and worshipped.

The works - murals including holy flames, crowns of thorns, and God's hands - had touched people at churches in four States during recent visits.

"Art is a wonderful tool for communication, because it speaks to the soul, and reaches across culture and age," said the former architect who has been using his design and illustration skills as a missionary for the past five years.

Palacio, from Mexico, completed the pieces - on 64-square foot frames - within 60 minutes, as his Youth With A Mission co-worker Don Stephens led the congregation in prayer, worship and meditation. After laying down his brushes, Palacio would explain a little about the painting, "but mostly leave it to people to reflect on themselves".

NOW: Requests for him to lead services at other churches have had to be put on one side while Palacio has directed his art to Bosnia over the past 18 months. Initially visiting to offer short-term help with a refugee resettlement program, on his return he created an exhibition to raise awareness of the great needs in the former Yugoslavia.

The series of paintings, models and photographs - displayed alongside spent bullet and shell casings, and military equipment - was presented at several churches, and may be taken to Europe sometime this year.

"The situation over there was so complicated that many people didn't understand what was happening, there was no connection. All they knew from the TV was that people were killing each other," he said. "I wanted to present what was happening in a way that could touch their hearts and move people towards prayer."

Plans for an ambitious music-and-drama presentation touring the region with a message of reconciliation fell through last year, but Palacio and several others did visit churches and youth camps where he used art to express hope and the need for healing.

From his experiences in Bosnia where everyday life revolves around simple survival, Palacio is considering a new walk-through exhibition that would challenge visitors to "really think about the pressure to conform to Western society - to dress and act and think in a certain way".

"Visual art has a very strong and unique way of communicating to people," he said. "It has been said that this generation listens with their eyes and thinks with their hearts, and I believe that is one of the reasons art can be so powerful."

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