Ora et Labora

The title of the painting, Ora et Labora, is Latin for Pray and work.

From left to right, I'll list the symbols as they pertain to the individual:
Nun #1 - The Crane: Loyalty, Monastic life. Ivy wreath: hospitality. Lamp: Wisdom.
Nun #2 - Columbine flower: Holy Spirit. Snow: Purity, innocence. Heart: love and charity.
Nun #3 - Scallop shell: Pilgrim. Bee: hard work. Potter's wheel: being formed by God.
Nun #4 - Butterfly: new life. Fern: solitude, humility and sincerity. Sunflower: keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus.
The colors have meaning also. Gold: worth. Blue: wisdom and charity. Green: growth, life, hope. Red: love, holy zeal.
In the background are wheat fields. Wheat has always represented the Holy Eucharist which is what the Catholic faith is centered around.

St. Emma's III

I've really come along farther than I expected so soon. But I'm racing against the clock to get this done for an exhibit.

The right nun's habit is now covered in Christian symbols that I feel represent her: butterfly, sunflowers and ferns. Each is painted with a transparent red wash, and outlined in gold metalic. The color is symbolic of love and joy.

Two faces to go, more symbols and the background and I'm done.

St. Emma's continues

I've re-evaluated the composition on this and came up with some good changes: I took out one of the nuns, furthest back in the picture plane; I changed the lay of the land just a little; and added just the veil of an additional nun off to the right. There was too much space on the right that was unused.

Yesterday I painted the face of nun#1, on the right. Today, #2. Sorry I don't have an image to show, but I will tomorrow.

St. Emma's

Every year there is a couple's retreat at St. Emma's Benedictine Monastery. The good sisters who run the place are beautiful and caring and make an interesting subject to paint.

This is a fairly large canvas, 3'x4'. I toned the canvas with a dilute mixture of Viridian green and Transparent red oxide, which creates a range of raw umber colors.

Next I started with the far right face. I always block in the area with a thin glaze of Terra Rosa, wipe out the highlights of the nose and forehead, then with stronger terra rosa I mark the inside corner of each eye. From there I rough in the eyes and start lifting off more highlights. It's much like sculpture because you are modeling a form.

The red and green tones on the faces are part of the underpainting, to influence the skin tone I will apply later.

The black Habits of the sisters were painted on with a knife. The designs in each one are scraffitoed into the thick paint (each design is based on a Christian symbol that I felt said something about that person.) My intention is to paint the faces very luminously, but the Habits will be flat and graphic. Wheat fields will develop in the background.