At the other end of the budget and special effects spectrum but no less wonderful for that (perhaps more wonderful because of it).

I saw my two children as kings in their nativity play at church on Sunday. It was like being wrapped in a warm Christmassy blanket. The nativity story has become a kind of folk tale that has its roots in what the Bible says but has grown and evolved beyond that (which is not to disparage it at all). I think that is still, just about, woven into the fabric of our culture.

I was led to reflect on the innocence of the children’s play alongside the harsh realities of  the Bible story (some of which I considered as I painted the Annunciation). The more I think about it the more I want to look at the story from both directions, both are wonderful and true in their own right.