Post Square 12.04.13 ~ Nativity Procession
I was relieved to see that the cover of the Post had a
gentle photograph today, taken by Bill O’Leary. The subject is a Nativity
procession, an annual event sponsored by the evangelical nonprofit group Faith
and Action.
In the photo a camel donning an elegant red blanket and
matching halter waits patiently with a donkey, a sheep and their handlers dressed
in draping robes. They look odd stopped in front of the marbled-columned
Supreme Court building.
Today’s haiku ~
Camels in D.C.
Nativity procession
marble columns watch
To get an idea of what to draw I moved my inch square around
the photo to find an intriguing area to use for a design. There were quite a
few possibilities, but while I was looking this idea of the animal pyramid came
to mind and felt more fun. I seem to be getting away from my original idea of
using the random square to make an abstract design…for now anyway.
In a wonderful, thick Natural History book published by
Smithsonian I found pictures of the camel, the donkey and the sheep to use for
reference. I wanted to find animals that would be authentic to the geography of
the Nativity. Pictured here is the Bactrian camel, not the Dromedary. On the
donkey’s back is a Jacob Sheep, which, according to the book, is said to have “originated
in Palestine”.
I added the wreath and jingle bell anklets and the donkey’s
blanket and tail bow.
The drawing, which measures 4”X6”, was done in pencil first,
then painted with watercolor. It’s on Bristol board.
I think I could have my Christmas card for this year.
No comments:
Post a Comment