Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Twas the Night Before Christmas

I was so excited to have the opportunity to paint these! The first piece is about Clement Clarke Moore, going out on his sleigh on Christmas Eve to bring home one more turkey for his wife, who was cooking up turkey dinners for those in need. As he rode, the jingle bells on his horses inspired him to write a fun little poem for his children, called "A Visit from St. Nicholas."

I found a great photo with backlighting to use for these beautiful horses, and I combined the background with different elements. I think these are the best horses, trees, and snow that I've painted, and I am really pleased with the atomspheric perspective with the faint house and trees in the background.

It's interesting, when I receive these commissions to paint historical events, that I learn much more about it through the research. I learned that they had six children at the time he read this to them. His five-year-old girl (whom I have portrayed in red in his lap) asked him to read it again after he was done. Sadly, she died when she was twelve.

I needed to find a family who fit the profile the best so I could take their picture for this painting. Moore was 42, his wife was 29, and his six children were between the ages of nine and zero. My friend Amy Brown's family fit this almost perfectly, but there were only five children, so I used Brooke as a twin for Mandy. (Mandy's in yellow, Brooke's in pinkish-purple.) They were so sweet to model for me! I joked with their son that he'd have to be in ringlets, since that was the style in the 1820s. I decided to be nice and only give him longish hair.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Noel Regney

This first painting is of Noel Regney. He was a French soldier during World War II who was forced to join the German army. He was able to join the French underground, but the horrors of the war haunted him for years to come.
After the war, he moved to the United States where he met Gloria Shayne playing the piano in a hotel lobby in Manhattan. Although they hardly even spoken the same language, they were married a month later! They later wrote the words and music to "Do You Hear What I Hear" together. Aren't Noel and Gloria perfect names for a couple of Christmas carol writers?
This was especially meaningful because it aired on Music and the Spoken Word on December 7th, Pearl Harbor Day.