Painting for Christmas!
The Joys of a Festive Season.
Santa and Snowmen and Reindeer...oh my!
These are just some of the characters that come to mind when painting for the Christmas season. We all remember the stories read to us by a beloved grandparent, a loving teacher, even mom or dad. Maybe telling us about a jolly Santa or an outcast reindeer. From Gift of the Magi to A Christmas Carol, these stories have inspired so many of us to paint what we feel Christmas is, from the religious to the whimsical.
To quote a popular saying, we mustn't forget 'the reason for the season'. Christmas is, after all, a religious holiday for many. A holiday to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ . The painting of the Nativity itself has been one done through out human history, many painters today continue the tradition. The angel has always been a popular figure to paint for Christmas, alone or above the Nativity there is something about those beautiful wings that elevates us to a higher plane.
Some celebrate the holiday as a way of giving, a time to rejoice in life itself. There are so many different festivities world wide, with so many different ways of celebrating. Search the history of Christmas on the internet, the wealth of information is astounding.
Santa Claus himself has had his likeness recreated so often he could perhaps be considered the winner in the whimsical category of the holidays! His pal the snowman is right up there in popularity too! Along with reindeer, elves, nutcrackers, woodland critters and more: the subject matter for Christmas and the holiday season is a vast and interesting one. You can never say you just don't know what to paint for Christmas.
Quite often we paint the exquisite florals and evergreens of the season. From the elegant Poinsettia to the regal Amaryllis, the flowers of the season provide a wealth of color to replicate on your canvas. Mistletoe, Holly and who could forget, the ever popular evergreen...the Christmas Tree.
Winter landscapes and Christmas scenes, they invite us to walk among them, to sit down and enjoy the festivities. As we paint these very same subjects, we hold dear a old memory or bring into existence a new one.
As for surfaces, we are not hampered there either. From canvas in all sizes and forms, to wood cut-outs of all shapes and patterns. Ready to paint cards greet us in a multitude of colors and a variety of textured papers. Ornaments are available to us in so many forms, from a flat wooden cut-out to a shaped piece of wood, from glass to porcelain, it's all out there.
Paints, mediums and other media are easily accessible, either from local shops and chains or online. Acrylics, watercolors, oils, colored pencil are just a few you can find. Who doesn't enjoy adding the accessories of the season...the jingle bells, the pine trim, a little glitter, a little ribbon.
At this point in time, I would say we are fortunate to have so much available to us.
When we go to our happy place and sit down to start painting, the joy of the season seems to invade our space. No matter when we paint our holiday treasures, we feel the magic of the season sneaking in. Sometimes it helps to play some festive music, maybe sip on a yuletide inspired drink...just don't dip your paint brush in it. Everything builds to that wonderful December day and we, as painters, often get to enjoy it far longer than others.
So here is to Christmas in July and Christmas in December. May your Christmas be a happy one whenever and however you celebrate. May you also have enough paint to finish all those festive projects!
Have a merry one!
Photo Credit - All Images - Pixabay