Christmas Crosses
10 December 2002
Watercolor on paper
15" x 21" (38.1 x 53.3 cm)
- FOR SALE -
This is a very different subject for a Card but calls out the significance of the first Christmas. The number printed was 100 which drove me to try something new. This is the first year the entire card was printed by another source. I used Shutterfly.
My comments - I loved this painting - especially the rock/cliff, but I'm not sure it was well received. That might be because it certainly isn't a traditional Christmas scene.
The painting has finally found a home - 22 years later.
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Card Sketch 2002a, 2002
Pencil and watercolor
This was the sketch that eventually evolved into the final Christmas card of 2002
It was interesting and rather productive to add some pigment to this sketch. I usually only add paint when I already like a sketch, which in reality, is probably a bad practice. Color has the ability to really change your take on things - it's nice to live in a full-color world.
Again, I have to say the sketches (both of them) are better than the final. If nothing else, they're more bold and dramatic.
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Card Sketch 2002b, 2002
Pencil / Watercolor
Looking back at this sketch, I think it’s better than the one I went with. Primarily because the colors and rocks are more dramatic.
The bright orange light added a nice touch, too. All the concepts remained in the final version, but I think this sun would have complemented the picture more than the one I painted.
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Card Sketch 2002c, 2002
Pencil
Something always seems to strike me about cliffs – especially those with such unforgiving drops. Maybe it’s because it’d be scary to be stuck there.
It’s even more impressive when a tree (or anything) grows not only out of a rock, but also on a death-defying drop. They’re not scared, they don’t even think about it. It’s funny how they scoff the cliff by always growing up!
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Card Sketch 2002d, 2002
Pencil
Here’s another thing...growing out of rock. You can see these types of branches in a lot of Japanese art. This particular growth is most likely a cherry tree branch.
Regardless, its rugged look complemented the rock well. Rather Charlie Brownish™ in the end.
I think I abandoned these sketches because I wasn't sure I could make them bold and/or striking enough.
-mm-
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