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It’s been 22 years since Wayne Forte’s pastor first asked him to create a piece of art to help with a worship service.

At the time, he was a churchgoer who also did artwork.

“When I did this first piece for the church,” he says, “I kind of had two lives – one was in the church, and one was in the art community, and they never really crossed. And I didn’t think that was really how it should be. I thought there should be a definite cross-fertilization that would benefit both sides.”

Now, biblical images appear regularly in his work, including the 23-piece exhibit that opened this week at Signs of Life Gallery, 722 Mass.

“Wayne Forte: Liturgical Art Forms” is a series of liturgical banners on canvas and linen. Some depict specific biblical figures and scenes, such as St. Francis, St. Vincent or St. Paul. Others attempt to explain biblical concepts, such as salvation, righteousness and the Sabbath.

But these aren’t the types of paintings you’re used to seeing hanging at churches. They’re post-modernist “experimental liturgical work,” Forte says.

“I don’t have a lot of churches calling me, wanting these kinds of things,” says Forte, who lives in Southern California.

Examples of his works:

¢ “Walk!” which depicts Jesus healing the invalid by the Pool of Bethesda.

¢ “Witness (Praying for Michael), which is about the story of Philip and the Eunuch told in Acts.

¢ “His Wounds, My Wings (Garden),” which shows Jesus with an emblazoned “S” on his chest, like Superman.

Explaining the art

Each of Forte’s images is accompanied by an artist’s statement explaining the symbolism on the banners.

“I’m not really apologizing for using those labels, wall plaques or whatever, because I think that’s really necessary,” Forte says. “With modernism, I remember my teachers would say you paint what you want to say. If you want to use text, you should be a writer. But I think there is a cross-pollinization between text and image that’s really rich.”

Clay Belcher, owner of Signs of Life, says he sees the statements and art as inseparable in many ways.

“If someone was to approach it, it would depend on where they’re coming from,” Belcher says. “It’s like any piece of art – people bring something to it … Obviously people familiar with the Bible and the biblical narrative might notice things that others might not.”

But he thinks an active faith life isn’t necessary to appreciate the art.

“I hope a lot of people will see it, regardless of their faith background,” he says.

‘Visual culture’

Forte, whose name is pronounced “fort,” says after 100 to 200 years of artwork being more or less divorced from churches, he thinks churches are beginning to embrace fine art again.

“We’re entering into a very visual culture, which is almost semi-literate,” he says. “People, they don’t really want to read. They are much more comfortable with images. So I think it’s a really opportune time for artists in the church to be working in the church, and for even pastors to be using visual arts, because that’s the new language now.”

Forte says he hopes his show at Signs of Life helps to instigate that sort of use for artwork.

“My first hope, I guess, would be to motivate and inspire artists that are in the church to start working and producing art for the church,” Forte says. “I think the church needs artists, and artists need the church. They tend to isolate, and I think there’s a whole rich field of possibilities now again in the church.”