Madonna of the Woods

This Fall, I knew I had to make my annual Christmas card, as I have done since I was in college. But I was in the middle of my school semester and very busy, so I decided to rework an existing image of a mother and child. There's not too much difference, really, between a mother and child and a Madonna and Child, is there, really?  

Here is the old image, which was colored pencil and pencil. It's called Lullaby​. 

Jessica Boehman, Lullaby. Pencil and colored penci. 2014.

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For me, Christmas feels most like Christmas during the evenings. The light fades early, around 5pm. We always went to Christmas Eve Mass in the dark, at nighttime, then placed the presents under the tree as the night wore on.  Tiny lights on trees and houses brighten the darkness.  So I wanted to make this into an evening image.   I recolored the image digitally, giving Mary her traditional blue garb, with only hints of red hidden in the garment.  In the Renaissance tradition of naming images of the Madonna after elements in the painting, I called this one Madonna of the Woods.

Jessica Boehman, Madonna of the Woods. 2015. Pencil and digital color. Do not reproduce without permission.