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“Sawyerville” is a portrait of a family business that, I hope, is as unique as Steve Sawyer’s own portraits of Jesus.

I began the project without fully realizing the involvement of each member of the Sawyer family—Arbella, Van, Hartwell, Fonta, Andon, Cindy and Steve. Together, they alone are responsible for Art for God, and that unity of mission, I think, helps give this already distinctive family a certain energy.

That energy flows through “Sawyerville,” whether they’re being funny, serious or candid about the business and its possibilities and tolls. When a documentary subject laughs through his tears—on camera, as Steve does—you know you have been fortunate. I also found it humbling, personally, as a filmmaker.

I hope that humility translated into care with these “documentary subjects”—these people—as I followed them through a year of transition in their business. Steve and Cindy sought to give Art for God better financial footing through Steve taking a temporary job outside the studio, and through decreasing expenses in Versailles and in Gatlinburg.

Early in the project, I considered approaching other artists, academics and scholars for their opinions about Steve’s work. But after meeting the Sawyers, I concluded I wasn’t really interested in what such people felt, at least not as they would take up running time. It had to be about the Sawyers, about Sawyerville.

As such, virtually no one other than Sawyer family members made it to final cut. Exceptions are a family friend, and a mother whose son Steve painted—in the arms of Jesus—as a memorial portrait.

So “Sawyerville” is about the Sawyers, from start to finish. It’s rare that they’re not documenting their own lives in some way, so I had available to me—and I used—a lot of family photographs, video and some terrific old home movie footage. Add to that Steve’s artwork, and I think the documentary gives an honest visual record of an artistic family.

Steve constantly surprised me by things he said and did, and I think he’ll surprise you too. Just when you think he’s safely in a box, he shows you he’s not.

That’s his world. It’s larger than religions and denominations, larger than canvases and cameras, larger than debts and doubts.

His world, their world, is Sawyerville, and I hope the documentary, though bound by time and space, will reveal to you most of its broad strokes, some of its tiny details, and all of its creative conviction.

Cliff Vaughn

Nashville, Tennessee