Brother Sixtus Roslevich continues our series on “The Artists of the Abbey” with an article on Joe Soares. With Joe’s becoming such a familiar presence in the monastery, we refer to him in this artilce, only somewhat in jest, as an artist “in residence.” His diligent and meditative engagement in his workday tasks is exemplary for all of us, yet some may still remain unaware of his extraordinary gifts and accomplishments as an artist. Brother Sixtus provides some background on this hidden dimension of this remarkable man.

"Harmony on the Pier," in the Burden Classroom lobby

In preparing this second installment of our new monthly series titled Artists of the Abbey, I was reminded of something a teacher of art and art history at Saint Louis Priory School would tell her new crop of students every year.  Ann Schaefer, a close friend who is in her 20^th year at Priory, instructed the boys to always be aware of their surroundings on campus, indoors and out, because they were studying and playing in the midst of very fine works of art.  Regular field trips to the Saint Louis Art Museum were routine, but no one needed to travel far to enjoy an early Roman tombstone, a welded steel sculpture of St. Benedict by a noted Polish artist, or numerous stained-glass windows made by students under the tutelage of their master, Br. Symeon.
 

The same holds true for students at Portsmouth Abbey School where almost daily they walk or run past works of art with nary a second glance.  While they might not often see the hand-lettered gravestones by Adam Heller (whom we spotlighted last month), they might be more aware of work by this month’s artist.  This week we introduce and highlight the life and art of Jose Manuel Soares of Bristol, known to us as Joe.  Joe is one of a large number of staff at PAS who are of Portuguese background by whose presence we are blessed to have as partners in our mission of Catholic education.  Joe’s meticulous housekeeping skills inside the monastery and church have afforded him the opportunity to develop a profound spiritual connection with many of the monks, both present and past.

Joe and his wife, Leonor, met on the Island of St. Michael (the Archangel whose feast we celebrated on September 29) in the Azores and were married there in a civil ceremony.  Leonor arrived in the United States in 1978 and, six months later in 1979, Joe followed under her sponsorship.   They were sacramentally married in St. Elizabeth Church in Bristol and still have uncles and cousins in the Azores.  They both engage in many of the activities of the Oblates of St. Benedict at Portsmouth.

Joe is a humble and unassuming gentleman and it does not come off as bragging when he says, “I have many gifts, I tell you.  I am a very skilled person.  I sing, I paint, I like poetry and write, but only little things.”  A bigger thing created by Joe, probably his largest work, is a painting which hangs in the lobby of the Burden Classroom Building near the stairs leading up to the library.  It is placed high above the display cases on the wall currently filled with an exhibit marking the 25^th anniversary of the founding of the Benedictine Monastery of Christ the Word in Zimbabwe.  Titled Harmony on the Pier, the work dates from 1999 and was included in an exhibition in the Winter Garden before being gifted to the school by the artist.  In fact, Joe assisted in the hanging of his painting which he donated in gratitude and appreciation to the school.  The seaside town which supplies the background is the old port of Ponta Delgada in the Azores.

"Harmony on the Pier" by Jose M. Soares

Like many artists before him, Joe carefully chose family members and friends to pose for the various figures in the picture.  Leonor was the inspiration for the woman, but mainly for her pose and arms.  Manny Silva of Fall River, who worked in the varnish room of the boat factory of Pearson Yachts along with Joe, stood in for the strapping young man standing next to the guitarist, another co-varnisher by the name of Alfred.  The young boy in the lower left corner is Joe’s son, Filipe, who was 6 or 7 at the time.  This painting took ten years to complete in his spare time and, although his studio is now located in his Bristol basement, he finished this work in their kitchen.  Filipe eventually attended Portsmouth Abbey School, graduating in 2002, two years after his sister, Monica.

Joe bought real fish from which to work in order to mix and match the proper red color, the size and the shape.  Interestingly, Manny was not holding a fish when he posed but Joe had someone else hold a fish at a later time so that he could capture and add that authentic detail to the scene.

Restoration work by Joe Soares

A three-dimensional work of art which Joe restored now sits at the entrance to the monastery’s library.  A beautifully carved statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, it appears in old black and white photographs behind Fr. Benedict Lang in his cell, at the time the oldest living monk at Portsmouth.  Its provenance is currently unknown but it had been moved from room to room over the years and sustained some damage, mostly missing pieces.  One leg and one arm of the Infant Jesus were missing, some of Mary’s fingers were gone, as well as several rays from her halo.  The halo which had once surrounded the head of Jesus, however, was missing entirely which required Joe to fabricate a new wooden halo from scratch.

Statue of the The Blessed Virgin, after restoration

Br. Joseph asked Joe if he could restore the statue back to its original beauty and the end result is beyond what anyone expected or thought was possible.  Several cracks and holes in the wood were filled and covered over with a base of gesso, a sort of liquid clay.  Traces of the original paint were still extant and gave Joe a clue to follow in formulating his polychromatic scheme.  The final touch came with the application of designs using tissue-thin sheets of gold leaf which were adhered sparingly to the painted surface with sizing, a special adhesive for the leaf.

Also on display inside the monastery is a half-length portrait of Fr. Benedict Lang (1912-2006) painted in 2011 from a photograph.  Joe remembered the monk as always giving a blessing to others and so he added a right hand in that position using his own hand as the model.  Another fuller-sized self-portrait, and not just of his hand, is displayed at his home.  He sells his work on occasion but mainly seems to simply love the idea and joy of painting.  The PAS grounds are a special subject for him, having produced views of the campus, the church, trees, etc.

Perhaps being drawn back to the ocean which carried him and Leonor to their new home in America years ago, Joe recently produced a painting on wood of a whale harpooning expedition reminiscent of 19^th-century folk art.  Once he and Leonor feel more comfortable in venturing out after these Covid times, Joe hopes to deliver that painting in person to the New Bedford Whaling Museum as a gift to their collection.

Joe's latest project, depicting a whale expedition

Mention must be made here of one more painting by Joe which resonates especially with the three monks who recently transferred their Benedictine vow of stability from St. Louis to Portsmouth.  It is a stunning portrait of St. Louis IX, King of France.  Although not on display in the school or monastery having been commissioned by a local priest, we include an image here for your admiration and for our appreciation.  Obrigado, Joe, keep up the good work.