In the 7th Global Realistic Oil Painting Contest organized by New Tang Dynasty in 2025, American artist Ken Corbett won the Silver Award with his painting “The Widow’s Two Mites”. This realistic piece, inspired by the Bible, captures a moment often overlooked – a poor widow with her child, putting her last two small copper coins into the offering box.
Corbett sees this scene as a metaphor for trust and choice. In his interpretation, the value is not determined by the amount but by the willingness to give everything. It depicts not the generosity of the wealthy but the giving from poverty – a gesture of completely entrusting the future.
“She had only two small coins, which seemed to be all she had,” Corbett said. “When Jesus saw it, he told his disciples: she gave everything she had.” To him, this painting is about trust.
He describes the scene in the painting as a symbol of his trust in God. “If someone around you relies on you, and you are still willing to give everything, that is complete trust – believing that God will make everything right and help you through it all.”
This biblical story also reflects his life. As an artist, his income is not stable. “I don’t get a paycheck every two weeks,” he said. This painting visualizes his belief: “If I faithfully give my tenth, God will take care of me.”
Corbett aims to convey a core message through his work: “God is real and worth our attention.” He laments that the world seems to be moving away from faith, but his life experiences have convinced him that God keeps his promises. “I have 16 grandchildren, and I hope they know – if you make a covenant with God, He will keep it.”
Before becoming a full-time artist, Corbett was a firefighter for ten and a half years. His frontline experience made him accustomed to making decisions under pressure and uncertainty. Transitioning to art was a longer and more faith-demanding “journey of faith.”
“In 1987, I became a firefighter, until around 1998, I decided to take a one-year break and try painting full-time,” he recalled. Selling a few pieces barely paid the bills, so he decided to fully commit. “This is what I always wanted to do.” Behind this decision was the support of his family, especially his wife Jane’s encouragement. “We survived, paid the bills. Life is not easy, being an artist is like riding a roller coaster, you’re always looking for the next income.”
But what sustains him is not just skills but faith. “You may be nervous, but you believe in yourself and believe that if you are doing what God wants you to do, He will take care of you,” he said. This pressure becomes a driving force, “it is the determination not to give up. I don’t know where this strength comes from, but I receive a lot of encouragement from my wife, parents, and children.”
Speaking of realistic painting, Corbett says he is always drawn to “truth.” “Humans are God’s greatest creation. If I can depict an individual’s image that resonates with people and helps them remember, then I have done something meaningful.”
He believes that art reflects the human heart. “I want to be a good person, perhaps I can paint a picture, tell a story of a person exercising faith,” he said, if a person is attracted to kindness and faith, the work will naturally go in that direction.
When discussing the relationship between art and character, Corbett bluntly says that creation often reflects one’s innermost self. “I want to be a good person,” he said, “perhaps I can paint a picture, tell a story of a person exercising faith.” He believes that if a person is attracted to kindness and faith, the work will naturally move in that direction.
In his view, what sets the New Tang Dynasty Global Realistic Oil Painting Contest apart from other exhibitions is its reverence for high quality and deep meaning, not just simplicity or surface level concepts. He said when you enter the exhibition hall, what you see is not “a blue canvas with a few yellow lines,” but the stories and values that artists attempt to convey. “They (the organizers) want to inspire us to be the best versions of ourselves, to discover the beauty within.”
After winning the Silver Award, he expressed feeling inspired by the recognition. “I am very excited because I am doing something meaningful.” “I believe this will lead to more similar works in the future, stories of inspiration and faith, and I look forward to creating those works.”
Discussing future plans, Corbett said he hopes to continue creating new paintings based on biblical stories. “I want to tell my grandchildren these stories, to let them know that these stories are true, that behind the artistic work, there are not just pure beauty but also stories.”
For him, what “The Widow’s Two Mites” carries is a message – “if we place our trust in God.” “He will give us strength in our trials and life challenges, help us face them with faith and courage, and He will stand by our side.”