Composition No.12 – Christmas Dinner

A crispy skinned, moist roast turkey, its skin alive with the unctuous effluvia of hot meaty gravy; accompaniments of smokey soft sausages wrapped in bacon and carrots caramelised in honey, crunchy steamed sprouts and sharp cranberries; and a dessert of sticky-sweet Christmas pudding, drizzled with creamy custard, and served alongside the buttery pastry of mincemeat filled pies – this is the feast that Christmas days are made of; the abundant dinner which sits at the heart of the festive celebrations, and with which I wish all readers of The Daily Norm a very happy Christmas this Christmas Day.
Yes, painted some weeks ago, when the spirit of the festive season began to seep into my bones and inject an energetic spring in my step, this 12th composition of a gouache collection started this summer marks the culmination of my year’s creative efforts. In style it mixes both a focus on realistic figurative efforts together with the overlapping transparencies which have characterised a lot of my “compositions” work. Thus while one brussel sprout is depicted realistically, the others around it are semi-transpararent reflections on a theme; shades of green darkening and lightening depending on their surroundings. Added to a scene complicit with Christmas spirit is a whimsical nutcracker together with the hearty walnuts it has been cracking, glasses of wine adding cheer to the dinner, and finally a cosy candle, providing warmth and intimacy to this festive scene.
It’s a scene that I hope is being repeated the world over this 25th December as we all celebrate this festive event, a time of togetherness, of socialising and of hearty indulgent feasting.
Happy Christmas everyone!
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Your gouache work is my favorite! -but I have said so, haven’t I?- the elements and colors, the transparencies… fine composition.
… 🙂 and Happy Christmas 🙂
Thanks so much Maru! And a belated merry Christmas! – for which apologies. I have been in Italy, the likes of which I will surely write about soon! Wishing you a very happy and successful 2014!
Italy… Oh My… another favorite we probably share. Lucky guy!
Have the best of New Year’s Eve and a New Year well-packed with health, creativity, joy, beauty… and light.