There is a Name is a painting on display at the Bermuda Society of Arts as a submission in the Winter Blue Exhibition.

It was painted by the artist Alice Cedenio, who goes by her maiden name Coutet for her artwork. The painting captures the face of Jesus outlined with “words and phrases” that describe who Jesus is to Ms Coutet.

The piece was painted live in little over five minutes in front of Ms Coutet’s congregation at Hamilton Seventh-day Adventist church. A fellow member sang a song as she painted and they finished together.

Ms Coutet said about the experience: “For the first 75 per cent of the song, nobody knew what I was doing, which was what I wanted. I wanted people to think, ‘What is she doing?’ It was words; it would be words inspired by Jesus’s name, such as He is marvellous, He is the counsellor, He provides, and all these things I believe; I believe because I have had all these miracles happen in my life.

“They don’t have to be major miracles to me; they can be small miracles here and there, but they are still miracles. Nearing the end of the piece, finally, you see the whole work come together, and see that it is the face of Jesus, and when that happened, the [response] of the congregation was exactly the impact I prayed for.”

Ms Coutet and her husband discussed ways to use her artwork to do God’s work around the same time the opportunity was presented for her to do the live painting with a good friend and fellow worshipper.

However, incorporating her faith into her artwork is something Ms Coutet enjoys doing and feels called to do. When sharing how her art and faith interact, Ms Coutet said: “You don’t have to follow the rules in art; you can just do what you want – abstract, realism – so that is what I want to do as an artist.

“Primarily, more importantly than that, I want to use my artwork as a platform to do God’s work. There's a text in the Bible that says, ‘In all your ways acknowledge Him’, so I know that God has given me this talent, and I know that I need to give it to Him, and that could be in the form of painting, or it could be the reason for the painting.”

Not every painting is directly related to faith, and Ms Coutet’s diverse portfolio has attracted the interest of many clients, creating opportunities for commissioned work and other avenues to display her works.

Ms Coutet said: “I have many different styles in my portfolio: faith-based, realism, portraits, contemporary, architectural, landscapes, cityscapes, Bermuda scenes, etc. I want to continue to create artwork through these styles that inspire, motivate, and provide hope to all that view.

“I want to use my art and my talent as a platform to let people know that Jesus loves them. I want to create more Bible scene paintings in the future. I completed a painting about Daniel’s Faith: It’s the face of a lion, and in the lion’s eye, you can see an Angel shutting the lion’s mouth so that Daniel is protected in the Lion’s den.

“So many people were inspired by this painting, which served as a reminder to continue to have faith. Throughout life, we may not see the angels shutting the lion’s mouths, but it does happen. God provides miracles every day.”

She added that she enters competitions, has solo art shows, supports all the galleries on the island through their art shows, paint commissions for clients, and paint “whatever I’m inspired by”.

On her inspiration to create art and how she hopes her art inspires the next generation of artists, Ms Coutet said: “I love the whole process of creating artwork, from sketching an idea, seeing it come to life, and then viewing and sharing the completed artwork.

“It’s the only space in life where there are no rules, and you’re free to create whatever you want. Sheilagh Head, a local artist, once said to me, ‘Alice, paint whatever you want, you’re the artist. There is freedom in art!’

“In this current time, we’re encouraged to be ourselves, and I think this is a perfect opportunity to create art that is inspired by one’s faith. Someone is going to love what you do.

“Not everyone loves every style. Art is subjective, and that’s OK. If you’re passionate about something, allow that passion to shine through whatever you do. Master the space and allow your work to be a blessing to other people.”