Merry Christmas!

"For Unto Us A Child is Born"

"Bethlehem"

Mixed Media

11"x14"

Christmas Blessings to all as I share with you the above artwork I painted at our Wednesday night Worship Service, December 21, 2016.  It was a special evening with out annual "Cookies & Carols" service in the historic sanctuary at St. Andrews Mt. Pleasant.  My easel was within the altar rail to the left of the empty manger which was later filled with bells as each person in the congregation came forward and placed a tiny bell in the manger, a symbolic offering of his or her gift to the Christ Child.

The painting surface had been prepared a while ago - I built the surface with several layers of collage using various papers, many of them thick to build the rocky texture and some of the building shapes. I also tore a page from an old hymnal and collaged part of "O Little Town of Bethlehem" on the surface.  Although it's been painted over, you can still see the words of the song if you look closely.

This is not a realistic depiction of the town of Bethlehem; instead, I love to use collage to express my emotional response to places and events.  And when the painting is created as an act of worship, there is usually a spiritual dialogue that happens. In this painting, several of the areas where I painted openings, doors or windows suggested caves - and that was a gift to me to discover those as I painted - because I've been to Bethlehem 3 times and the Church of the Nativity is actually built over the grotto or cave that is the traditional birthplace of Jesus Christ.