Pope Saint John Paul II

I was just a kid the day that JPII died, but I remember vividly the feeling of loss, as though a friend had passed away. Of course I never actually met this great pope, but when I was inspired to begin painting a series of saints, his was the first image I chose. Only now do I realize why: one of his greatest messages was the call for this generation to a New Evangelization, particularly in his Letter to Artists.