Mary's Heart

Several artists in my church are working on individual pieces of art as part of a Christmas art celebration for the senses. The visual art will be displayed during the Christmas choir concert. All are based on the theme "On this Very Night." Each artist was invited to interpret the phrase in his/her own work. I chose the verse in Luke that reads "And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart." Before I show you my painting in progress, let me share a pic of my new old Coppes Hoosier cabinet, which I've turned into my craft center. Plenty of nifty nooks, shelves and drawers to keep all of the goodies tucked away in. I love the enamel counter top that pulls out and makes just enough room to work on a manageable project. Here is the preliminary sketch for my interpretation: and here is how it ended up in stage two: I chose to forego all of the fancy ornamentation on the box and the wrist and went for a more peaceful, simple treatment. I added the verse to the background with colored pencil. The next step will be to coat the entire painting in paraphin wax, wad the paper up to create cracks in the wax, and then pour a heavily tinted wash of color over the paper, so that the paint seeps into only the cracks. I'll share that step later. . . Stay tuned!