Monday, December 5, 2011

The Angels' Song


It's hard to believe that Christmas is less than three weeks away. Our little town is rather known in the area as a place to come and view outdoor Christmas lighting and displays. I have shown some of my lawn displays in the past, and decided to paint a new one this year.

I also thought it might be fun to take a few snapshots of it as it progressed so you could see how it developed. Above you can see the first shot I took.


This is at the point where I started to block in the fiery bright angelic colors. It started to come to life a bit more at this point.


Here is a close-up at an early stage of a shepherd's face. This particular shepherd is probably my favorite. I didn't put a lot of time into any of the figures, mostly because people are almost always driving past and viewing it from the road. Viewing from that distance forgives a lot of errors.


This is a closeup of the lower part of the angel. This was probably the most fun to paint. Free flowing paint and brilliant colors.


We put it out in the front yard on Wednesday of last week. The paint was not fully dry, but we put it out anyway. It snowed 3-4 inches this weekend, so it looks really nice surrounded by a fresh layer of the white stuff.


The Angels' Song
Here is a little better look at the entire finished piece. It is what I would call a very traditional interpretation of this scene–one you might see in a Sunday school classroom. I think people are drawn to the traditional images and music that permeate the Christmas season.

If you are in the area, I invite you to come view the lights as well as the new painting at the Vander Stelts.


10 comments:

  1. Kristi Van Der WeideDecember 6, 2011 at 7:14 AM

    That is TREMENDOUS, John! I love it and can't wait to see it for myself at Christmas!! Beautiful work!

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  2. That looks incredible! Great job!

    Andrew Wolgen

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  3. I love, love this one! It looks amazing with the snow glistening in the lights! Great job!

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  4. looks awesome, congrats on an amazing work!

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  5. looks wonderful.......can't wait to see it at Christmas!
    Your sis

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  6. John -
    I love it! I miss seeing your emails and your paintings, now I can see why - you've been a little busy!
    Always look forward to more....
    Molly S

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  7. John - You are an incredible artist! Thank you so much for sharing the process as well as the finished product! The colors that you use to create face dimension and the angels' wings are pure genius. God bless you, Tonya

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  8. John...Wow! Thank You for sharing and letting the Driver-Byers see it, but I think it is way to nice to be outside!! Sheila

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  9. We drove by to see it in person tonight! So beautiful!

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  10. Thanks everyone, and Merry Christmas to all!

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