Nativity Backdrop

RuthAnn, the Ward Activity Director, asked me to paint a stable backdrop for the annual Primary children's Nativity that is enacted each year at the Ward Christmas party. I was not thrilled about being asked to do it. I felt something like how the main character in Single's Ward feels when the Ward Activity Director calls him and asks him to do stand up comedy for the Ward talent night since that is what he does for a living. Yeah. Not thrilled!

Anyway, I obviously said I'd do it. I toyed with ideas for a while, and put it off until after Helena's party was over. I simply couldn't deal with both at the same time. And, of course, it had to be WAY below freezing this week when I needed to spend several hours in the garage in order to paint it! The Ward party is tomorrow, otherwise I would have been tempted to wait for milder weather. It was about 12 degrees out when I was painting this. My hands are chapped and sore now, but I think it was worth it. I am very pleased with the results.

Here is the finished product. The top picture has the additional lighting of my one poor pathetic garage light that still works (three of them are out of commission), while the bottom picture shows the backdrop with only the flood lights shining on it. The strong contrast between light and dark was intentional. I wanted to get a strong feeling of the love of God shining down from the Star of Bethlehem.

There you have it. I could have a future in prop painting if the teaching thing ever fell through.