Bethany Stories: Scott Beaderstadt

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During our Bethany Stories series, we’re hearing stories about our namesake, a town outside Jerusalem where Jesus’ friends Martha, Mary, and Lazarus lived. We’re also hearing stories from our Bethany, especially from the past year.

On Sunday June 2nd, we heard four stories. One of them came from Scott Beaderstadt, an artist who’s worked for Marvel, DC, Disney, and created Trollords. He’s a long-time Bethany member, here since birth! Here’s Scott’s Bethany story:

As many of you know I am a sequential artist, which is a fancy pants way of saying I've made a profession of  drawing comic books.

Part of this profession is attending the Comic Book Convention circuits. Comic Cons are events that geeks, nerds and trekkies would gather to meet creators, movie stars and artists. In most cases, comic conventions are multi-day events hosted at convention centers, hotels, or libraries throughout the country. They feature a wide variety of activities and panels for the whole family of kids of all ages.  Comic book conventions are also used as a vehicle for the comic book industry, in which artists like myself would meek and greet new fans sign books and display sketches, original art and prints for sale.

If you where to attend one of these Comic Book Convention and stop by my booth you could look through my many portfolios and you would see a menagerie of prints of  pop culture images like  Spider Man, Bugs Bunny and Squidlly Didlly.

You would also find some more personal and spiritual works that I have done. 

On occasion fans and perspective buyers would stop and give these images a second glance. 

Many would say " I didn't expect to find this here". 

I've never questioned what they meant by that. 

You Didn't expect to find it at a comic Con?

You Didn't expect to find it in Artist Alley?

You didn't expect to find it in MY portfolio?

HUH.

I've always considered myself to be an open book when it comes to my religion. However I never mean to hit people over the head with my beliefs. God IS the constant source of creating and creation. ALL things come from GOD.

“See, I will not forget you. You are carved in the palm of my hands” (Isaiah 49:16)

I will let you in on a little secret about Artists. We  never throw anything out.

If you could come over to my studio you would see pencils and erasers  worn down to the nubs, Sketchbooks and little pieces of papers with notes and unseen ideas. Brushes and markers that have seen better days awaiting to be recycled. 

About thirty years ago Paul Fricke and I did a black and white variation of these six Bethany Programs. 

So this idea for these have been creeping and crawling in my noggin for a while now. Early in this year I presented these images to Rebecca and Vince. They gave their approval and said GO for IT. So I thought NOW was the time to give this "idea" a new fresh coat of paint. 

Maybe in another thirty years I'll be more comfortable with my water color abilities and give these another go. (Mark your calendars.)

Now what I was going for here are images that while they stand on their own when put together they form something with a deeper meaning.

Every artist leaves a piece of themselves in every work that they do. Sometimes it's pretty darn obvious. Sometimes its' so subtle we don't even realize we are doing it. I'll admit, Many many times I'll get run down and discouraged. Dreams and projects have been so long in coming that I feel cast away and forgotten. 

In doing these covers I was re-Inspired. 

When looking at the final pieces all coming together People would pause and question,  Are you divinely inspired ?

I don't know how to answer that. I suppose we ALL are. We each carry inside of us a Divine purpose. Why God loves us so much is beyond my human understanding. I tell others not to give up. Keep believing. Keep praying. Keep being wonderful. You may be ready to give up on a dream but God isn't. He still has a way to bring it to pass. He still has a plan and He's working right now to line up all the right pieces that will all fit together. 

After all when it comes right down to it ...It's God's will.  

Try topping that!