CHRISTMAS  CRIBS

The inspiration for my Nativity scenes came from looking at 'The Mystic Nativity', the beautiful painting by Botticelli, which is in the National Gallery, London.
 
I was particularly struck by the way Botticelli conveys the early morning light, just beginning to appear through the trees in the forest behind the stable.
To convey this sensation of tranquil light, I designed my forest with little holes in each tree, to let a night light shine delicately through. I also used a white gloss glaze over slip and under paints, to create a winter scene.

In Boticelli's work, the central characters are making curving gestures and this is echoed in the embracing angels and the dancing angels in Heaven.

To capture this circular movement, I have made the figures as rotund as possible, with clothes that sweep round them.  I also wanted to keep a rustic feeling to the scene, so as to reflect the sentiments of the first crib, which was designed by St Francis of Assisi.


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