Jesus Smokes Cigarettes Too is a mixed-media portrait created with colored pencil and oil pastel that examines hypocrisy, morality, and religious identity. The piece challenges the tendency to judge individuals based on their affiliation with a group while overlooking the contradictions that exist within those groups themselves. By depicting a priest smoking a cigarette, the work questions the assumption that belonging to a religious institution automatically makes someone morally superior or free from flaws.

Rather than criticizing faith itself, the piece focuses on the complexity of human behavior. It suggests that people can occupy respected positions, preach certain values, and still struggle with habits, contradictions, or imperfections. The title reinforces this idea by collapsing the distance between the sacred and the ordinary, reminding viewers that no identity exists without human vulnerability beneath it.

The portrait uses expressive color rather than naturalistic skin tones, layering blues, reds, and yellows across the face and hands to create emotional tension and psychological depth. Colored pencil allows for soft transitions and subtle blending, while oil pastel provides bold areas of color and contrast, particularly in the clothing and symbolic crosses. The exaggerated features, direct gaze, and stark white background isolate the figure, forcing attention onto both the individual and the symbolism surrounding him. Through its use of color, distortion, and iconography, the piece invites viewers to reconsider how morality, identity, and judgment are constructed.