2022 Year 6 Highly Commended

'Full of Grace'
Noemi Branchi
Stella Maris Catholic Primary School, Shellharbour 
Year 6

My watercolour painting of ‘The Annunciation' shows the Virgin Mary kneeling in an olive grove as she is approached by the Angel Gabriel, who brings the news that she has been chosen to conceive the Holy Spirit. As described in the scripture Luke 1:26-38, the Angel was sent by God to a town in Galilee, called Nazareth, which can be seen in the background. I chose golden canary yellow to paint the village, symbolising the golden light of the Holy Spirit that had entered Mary at the time of receiving the news. The garnet red used in the village portrays the unconditional love that Mary dedicates to her faith and God. 

Mary is surrounded by olive trees, symbolising peace, growth and new life. The bare ground of the olive grove is an indication of the simplicity of Mary’s life in a small, agricultural town that contrasts with the extraordinary nature of God’s choice of Mary as the Mother of Jesus. I chose to paint Mary in beige clothing with a blue headpiece to represent her transition from an ordinary life to a blessed life filled with divine grace. I was inspired by a scene from Josh Groban’s ‘Oh, Holy Night’ because the olive trees remind me of my strong Italian heritage.

View more of our Christmas Story Art Exhibition 2022 artworks by clicking on our young artists' names in the teal panel. Alternatively, click through our artworks below.

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