'A Moment of Peace'

Student Reflection

My artwork was inspired by the scripture, ‘The Birth of Christ’ (Matthew 1:18–25).

I really wanted to paint Jesus’s birth because it is a story that is peaceful and fills me with

warmth. The birth of Christ is the day a saviour was born, a moment of peace in the world.

I tried to show the connection between Mary and Jesus when she first saw him and gazed at him in wonder. I wanted to capture the peace in the painting and the warmth coming from Mary and her comforting mother figure. I like to think my painting connects to my life as I see my mother also as a warm, kind, caring and most of all, loving parent.

I chose to use acrylic paints as I felt they would more easily show the emotion that Mary and Jesus were experiencing. I painted an empty background with just the star of Bethlehem so it would look calm and still, like a frozen moment in time. I made it so Mary looked humble and even a bit dirty to show that she wasn’t rich but an everyday, ordinary woman chosen by God. Her halo shows her heart shining from the inside.