MAJOR AWARD: PACKING ROOM PRIZE
2023 YEAR 5 FINALIST

'connecting the journey' 
ruby humphries
st paul's catholic primary school, camden
year 5

‘In the wilderness…every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low’; Isaiah 40:3-5. This passage, and my connection to this earth as a child of the Gundungurra Nation, was the inspiration for my artwork. 

Carefully carved from a native grey gum tree, I have used modern and traditional painting techniques to tell the story of Mary and Joseph’s journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. In the same way that my Dad and I tapped and knocked gently on the gumtree to find the right place to cut the wood for this coolamon, I imagine Joseph would have also tapped and knocked gently on each wooden door of the Inn before finding the right place to rest before the birth of their new baby. Using the illustrations and colours by the artist Lisa Kennnedy, I have painted traditional symbols to show ‘travelling’ and the path leading to the shelter beneath the vibrant star. 

The spirit of the story flows gently outwards from the centre of the vessel and reminds us of our continued connection to the birth of Jesus and this land. This artwork tells of the resting place and the end of the journey, where the glory of the Lord was to be revealed.

View more of our Christmas Story Art Exhibition 2023 artworks by clicking on our young artists' names in the teal panel. Alternatively, click through our artworks below.

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