Image © 2012 Forte Studios, wayneforte.com Used by Permission.

What does it mean to truly expect grace in your life? Join artist Wayne Forte and Rev. Rob McPherson as they explore the Parable of the Vineyard Workers through powerful art and scripture. Discover how God’s generosity invites us to embrace grace in surprising and transformative ways.

Matthew 20:8-16

In this episode of Art and Prayer, Rev. Rob McPherson welcomes artist Wayne Forte for a rich conversation about art, prayer, and the creative process, centered on Forte’s painting Parable of the Cane Workers #2 (Expect Grace). Forte, trained as a modernist at the University of California, shares how his journey evolved from secular art to biblical imagery, inspired by a pastoral invitation in the mid-1980s. Today, much of his work deeply engages scripture, using paint as a form of prayerful communication and visual language — a kind of “speaking in tongues” that conveys God’s word beyond words.

Forte explains how his artistic process involves layering scripture onto canvas, using text not just as narrative but as a tool to disrupt and open new ways of seeing. This innovative method mirrors the multiple interpretations of scripture itself and invites viewers into a dynamic encounter with biblical stories.

The focus painting depicts the Parable of the Vineyard Workers, where a landowner hires laborers at different times of the day but pays all equally. The episode invites viewers to imagine themselves as one of the workers—whether those who labored from dawn, midmorning, or late afternoon—and reflect on their reactions to the landowner’s generosity.

Viewers are led through a contemplative exploration of Forte’s painting: observing details, identifying with various figures, and probing how the painting’s expression of “Expect Grace” deepens the parable’s message. Questions encourage empathy with others’ experiences and invite reflection on where grace is easy or difficult to expect in one’s own life.

The scripture reading from Matthew 20:8–16 frames this prayerful meditation, emphasizing that grace is freely given and not earned, inviting a surrender to God’s generous and sometimes surprising economy. Through this prayerful engagement, the episode calls viewers to listen for God’s personal message amid the art and scripture and to carry that message forward in faith and hope.

The closing reflection from Forte’s interview enriches the encounter, grounding it in the lived experience of an artist whose work is a continual dialogue with God. This episode is a profound invitation to see grace not just as a theological concept but as a living, expectant reality in our daily lives.