Terry Rowlett's works from his early years in Athens, GA are often blatant depictions of familiar Christian characters inserted into decidedly American landscapes. As Rowlett's subjects turned toward themes of wandering, the hand of God slowly faded away and his spiritually questing characters became framed in scenes which increasingly celebrate landscape and nature. It was during this period that Rowlett set off on his own spiritual journey to the Holy Land. He spent several months living in Israel in the hopes that life in the presence of a sacred place would only afrm his religious convictions. Instead he only witnessed the prejudice and meanness that prevails when religious convictions clash. He returned to Athens having lost the Christian faith that had always driven him to paint. Birth at Mount Gilboa (1998) essentially illustrates such a spiritual reawakening. Terry Rowlett was born in 1962 and grew up in the mountains of Arkansas. He served four years in the U.S. Army in the 1980's as an armor reconnaissance scout in the United States and Germany. After receiving his M.F.A. in painting from the University of Georgia in 1995, he has made his way and living as an artist ever since. His paintings have been featured in numerous publications such as the GEORGIA REVIEW, OXFORD AMERICAN and HARPER'S MAGAZINE to name a few. Also, his paintings have appeared on many book, magazine and album covers.