Religious Paintings For My Gallery

One of my favorite artists is someone that I actually stumbled across when I was buying religious paintings.  He was not famous, but he had some of his pieces at a local show.  I found that he primarily paints and sells his work on the internet.
It is hard to describe all of the feelings that I had when I saw his first piece.  I really liked that he used the scripture Psalm 139:14 and made it gently legible within the layers of fresco colors.  I thought that this was an excellent choice for my gallery.  Buying religious paintings is very rewarding.
When my painting arrived, it was on gallery wrap ? inch stretcher frames and was ready to hang.  My patrons came to a private preview of the piece and were so happy with my success at buying religious paintings.  The piece was actually five original canvases, each 15″ X 30″ with black painted gallery wrap edges so that no frames were needed.
The title of the piece was long, but appropriate.  The title was “I will praise thee for I am fearfully made marvelous are Thy works and that my soul knoweth right well”.  One of my patrons wanted to buy it and hang it in his home.  I had to convince him to let me show it for four months before he did that.  It is hard work finding and buying suitable religious paintings.
In all the time that I’ve spent looking at and buying religious paintings, I am starting to feel like an expert.  I try to find paintings in a variety of mediums to keep the gallery feeling fresh and vibrant.  My favorite religious paintings use fresh earth minerals, pigments, oil glazes and acrylic varnish.
I actually have no preference if an artist signs his canvas or not.  Most of my patrons, however, want their religious paintings signed.  So, when I am buying religious paintings, I try to find ones that the artist signed.
The artist that I decided was my personal favorite uses the lost language of symbolism in his original paintings.  He told me that his religious paintings are inspired by the ancient storytelling frescoes of Pompeii, Italy.  He has a trademark style that he calls Religious Graffiti.  
I get a lot of requests for certain subjects in the religious paintings that I buy.  I have been looking for religious paintings of Mary and Jesus and also painting of Mary and Angel Gabriel.  I have several families that have wanted these classic images in their homes.  I have another family that wants me to find an oil Madonna with Child to hang in her church.
There was one religious painting that I bought that was very sweet.  The image of Our Lady, Jesus and St. Giovannino was very provocative and it hung prominently in the gallery for six months before I let it go.  I get attached to the religious paintings that I buy and then get to view every day.  I have a policy that no painting will leave the walls of the gallery for four months.
My new favorite piece is an abstract triptych that I found while I was in Atlanta buying religious paintings.  The piece was called Guardian Angel and I love it.  My patrons fell in love with it as well.  They have asked me to track down the artist and see if he has anymore religious paintings available.
The only religious paintings that I actually do not buy are ones that reflect the image of Jesus on the cross.  I don’t have a problem with them, some of them are extremely well done and would more than likely sell well, but my investors made it very clear when they financed the gallery that I would not put that image into it.