Orthodox Christmas

Miniature Painting

Yesterday's project was painting a very small Holy Family canvas for a gift for a family celebrating their Orthodox Christmas. I did manage to get it done, but have reservations about the result. First, I should have used a very smooth substrate  so the canvas weave  would not detract from the miniature format - I know that from my days in the miniature painting society, but I had none on hand. (Add to supplies list. Check.) Also, the work ended up being only from my head and not from models or resources - again, because I had none available. I need more computer skills, too. So, it turned out to be a little decorative token and not much else.

Initial sketch

Beginnings, on ten by ten cm. canvas.

Result. It has gold in areas which picks up light, like an icon - but it is not an icon.

Orthodox Christmas

The Serbian people - for whom the painting was made - have elaborate traditions for their Christmas celebrations in their homeland. As emigrants though, they reduce the festivities to having an oak branch in the house - as a substitute for the traditional fireplace log that is collected and placed and burned with great ceremony - and candles on the table, and straw on the floor, which represents the various ceremonies for asking for blessings on the coming year's work and crops. The oak branch might be saved all year or made into small crosses and tucked here and there. The straw is taken up after the festivities and bundled and put around the house or farm as blessing-bearers. One bundle of straw is saved for the big festival of  St.George in May. Gift giving is not a major part of Orthodox Christmases, and what gifts are given are distributed in the three days before Christmas. So we got it wrong, but now we know.

Pin Angel

To have room to paint in my studio, I need to clear a previous project, so I finished a safety pin bead angel. The steps:

First. add beads, largest to smallest on pins. I used seven.

 Wire heads together.

Add a large bead between each pin base coil and wire together in circle.

This makes the skirt, to which you can add a body bead, wings and a head bead with loop to finish.

 

 

 

All done.

Seen Today

On today's walk I particularly noticed a lost baby boot, hung up on a sign for someone to retrieve, and some wildlife sauntering about.

A tiny purple baby boot.

Rothirsch stag.

The pony isn't wild, but there are a moose cow and her calf in the background, then my camera battery gave out.(Rule two: charge battery before taking it on walk.)