[x]

Browse More Like This

More from ~FireFiriel

View Gallery

Featured in Groups:

Not currently featured in any groups.

Details

Submitted: December 24, 2006
Image Size: 239 KB
Resolution: 702×909

Link

Thumb

Statistics

Comments: 58
Favourites: 24 [who?]
Views: 1,322 (0 today)
Downloads: 21 (0 today)

[x]

Child in the Coldby ~FireFiriel

Traditional Art / Mixed Media

This is my Christmas picture. I'd had the idea in my mind for over a year; it's inspired by these two poems:

A Child of the Snows

There is heard a hymn when the panes are dim,
And never before or again,
When the nights are strong with a darkness long,
And the dark is alive with rain.

Never we know but in sleet and in snow,
The place where the great fires are,
That the midst of the earth is a raging mirth
And the heart of the earth a star.

And at night we win to the ancient inn
Where the child in the frost is furled,
We follow the feet where all souls meet
At the inn at the end of the world.

The gods lie dead where the leaves lie red,
For the flame of the sun is flown,
The gods lie cold where the leaves lie gold,
And a Child comes forth alone.

-G.K. Chesterton

The Burning Babe

As I in hoary winter's night stood shivering in the snow,
Surprised I was with sudden heat which made my heart to glow;
And lifting up a fearful eye to view what fire was near,
A pretty Babe all burning bright, did in the air appear;
Who, scorched with exceeding heat, such floods of tears did shed
As though His floods would quench His flames with what His tears were fed;
'Alas!' quoth He, 'but newly born, in fiery heats I fry,
Yet none approach to warm their hearts or feel my fire but I!
My faultless breast the furnace is, the fuel wounding thorns;
Love is the fire and sighs the smoke, the ashes shame and scorns;
The fuel Justice layeth on, and Mercy blows the coals;
The metal in this furnace wrought are men's defiled souls;
For which, as now on fire I am, to work them to the good,
So will I melt into a bath, to wash them in my blood.'
With this He vanished out of sight, and swiftly shrunk away.
And straight I called unto mind that it was Christmas day.

-St. Robert Southwell

This turned out very well I think, though not precisely how I imagined. Coloring the trees took forever. It's all done with Prismacolour and Copic markers except the snow and blood, which are acrylic and watercolour, respectively.
I think this is the best religious picture I've done yet.

A blessed Christmas to everyone!

^_^

love 2 2

~~joy 0 0~~

~~wow 0 0~~

~~mad 0 0~~

~~sad 0 0~~

~~fear 0 0~~

~~neutral 0 0~~

~thebrokenrattle Dec 16, 2010 Hobbyist Photographer

Striking. Gutting. Fantastic.

Reminds of me of the ending of the Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde.

'And when he came quite close his face grew red with anger, and he said, "Who hath dared to wound thee?" For on the palms of the child's hands were the prints of two nails, and the prints of two nails were on the little feet. "Who hath dared to wound thee?" cried the Giant; "tell me, that I may take my big sword and slay him." "Nay!" answered the child; "but these are the wounds of Love." '

God Bless....and Merry Christmas!

~FireFiriel Dec 16, 2010 Professional Traditional Artist

I'm speechless. Thank you so much.

I did think of that too!

To you likewise, to be sure!

~PocketGargoyle Nov 15, 2010

I'm unhappy that I didn't find this on dA before. It was actually one of the first pieces I saw from you, after the Blanche and Rose pictures.
Saw it in the auction and was blown away. The brilliance and vibrancy of the colors is just amazing. The composition is beautiful. The subject matter is...shocking. This is what really grabbed my attention and set it apart from anything else I had seen: toddler Jesus alone, bleeding from His five wounds. I'm used to seeing Baby Jesus swaddled by Mary, angels, or Joseph. And I'm not used to seeing any baby bleeding and beautiful. He's wounded, but the scene is still so peaceful. His expression is sad. He looks directly at the viewer, forcefuly engaging the viewer to give some response. It seems like He's asking, "Do you love me this much?"
It's very, very Catholic. To look on a mortally injured God and see beauty, love, and hope is so culturally unique (or feels that way to me). To do that, you could have drawn a crucifix. But you took it further and presented Jesus as a child, reminding the viewer that His divine mission was present even then, that he was conceived in love to die in love, that even as a child he was marching to Golgatha.
I could go on for a while, an I might say some more sometime, but I'm gonna stop here with one last exclamation on the lighting.

~FireFiriel Nov 20, 2010 Professional Traditional Artist

I don't know what to say. Everything you say is just the ideal of everything I could in the highest hope to do with art. Thank you so much more than words can say.

~PocketGargoyle Nov 22, 2010

You're very welcome!

~Datuasul Feb 16, 2010

Amazing

i love this

~FireFiriel Feb 16, 2010 Professional Traditional Artist

Thank you very much.

~Datuasul Feb 16, 2010

your welcome

~FeAlasFuerza Oct 5, 2009

This is wonderfull!!!

~FireFiriel Oct 5, 2009 Professional Traditional Artist

Thank you!

More from ~FireFiriel

Featured in Groups:

Details

Statistics

Child in the Coldby ~FireFiriel

The Journal Portal

Polls

What is your preferred drawing software?

deviantART [dee·vee·un'nt·ART]

Keep in Touch!

Deviousness

Add Media

Style