Seems fitting to begin the Silver Linings Sketchbook with this story, given that today is Epiphany, the last day of the official Christmas season.
Specifically because of the pandemic, I received the largest painting commission I have had to date.
To be exact, the painting is 5 feet wide by 6 feet high. I can just barely carry it if I stretch my arms out as wide as possible.
Here is how it happened: when our church staff was trying to figure out how to have a family-oriented Christmas Eve service during the pandemic ( this is a service which normally would have included a live Nativity scene, with real people, not a possibility in the time of COVID), they decided they would like a life-size nativity painting. They approached me to see whether I would consider creating such a thing...would I?
Would I !?! Of course!!!
Sketching in the basics with charcoal…
In the end, due to even stricter regulations, and out of an abundance of caution, the in-person church service with the painting didn’t happen. What did happen was a video of “Mrs. Louise’s Neighborhood”, where our church’s children’s minister talks about the story of Christmas in various ways, including taking a trip to visit “Ms Carolyn” in her studio. The link is here; Mrs. Louise's Neighborhood (Christmas Special) - YouTube. If you don’t want to watch the whole thing, you can find the studio trip beginning about minute 4.5 and ending about 11.5.
So, my first really large commission, all due to the pandemic. I hope it’s not my last!
The finished painting. All rights reserved; this image may not be reproduced without permission of the artist.
Arlo was a good companion through the process, though he did end up with quite a bit of charcoal in his fur.
The canvas was exactly as wide as my work desk, so I tied the stretchers on the back onto the desk so that the canvas wouldn’t shift as I worked.