Madonna of the Night

"And when My Mother, pretty as a church,
Takes Me upon her lap, I laugh with love,
Loving to live in her flesh, which is My house and full of
light! -Merton

"Once you start to love her you know you'll never stop, she shines like a diamond when she walks into a room, she could charm the stars; hypnotize the moon"- unknown

When, in the dark, the frost cracks on the window
The children awaken, and whisper.
One says the moonlight grated like a skate
Across the freezing river. Yet it is far from Christmas, when a star
Sang in the pane, as brittle as their innocence!
For now the light of early Lent
Glitters upon the icy step - The moonlight rings upon the ice as sudden as a
footstep;
Starlight clinks upon the dooryard stone, too like a
latch,
And the children are again, awake,
And all call out in whispers to their guardian angels.- Merton

Eternal Peace is sleeping in the hay,
And Wisdom's born in secret in a straw-roofed stable.

And O! Make holy music in the stars, you happy angels.
You shepherds, gather on the hill.
Look up, you timid flocks, where the three kings
Are coming through the wintry trees;


Well Merry Christmas and a Early Happy New Year to everyone!

Here is my completed picture of my sketch with the same title. It took me quite a while to finish it, I think I started painting this around august and just finished it tonight, well that's procrastination for you. This is actually my third version, the first was done with water colors, but I just never got around to scanning it, this one has the originally embroidering in the Blessed mothers sleeves, when I post the other you will also noticed that the sleeves will appear more blue in tint, and that's because it has no embroidery.
In this piece the scene is midnight, a gentle breeze wisps through the clouds setting them adrift in the night like sail boats, and playfully and gently blowing through her Mary's hair. The halo mimics the glow of the moon and twelve stars surround her head. Two strands of pearls wrap around her neck, one white, one black. Little white pearls cover her black vest. I wish I were better at painting pearls. I had a lot of fun doing her blue skirt Tenderly she watches her son seated on her knee, playing with a string of stars, his head surrounded by a golden halo to match the golden sun , not that it has exactly 7 points. His golden/orange robe is like wise covered in pearls.
Anyhoo, thats all for now. I do hope everyone had a good Christmas, and will continue to do so and a Happy New Year, may be I'll try to paint more as part of my new years resolutions, who knows, I'm a very spontaneous person, who knows what Ill do next, ha ha