'pensive melancholy' 
mikayla carriage
nazareth catholic primary school, shellharbour city
year 6

My artwork is centred around the scripture ‘The Annunciation’, Luke 1:26-36 when the Angel Gabriel first appears to Mary and announces; “you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus”. The word ‘conceive’ resonated with me as I imagined the range of emotions Mary was feeling and based my artwork on that.

Mary is overwhelmed by this news, and unprepared. She feels scared, having just found out she is with child. My artwork depicts Mary crying, afraid and confused, wondering why the Lord chose her of all people. She is woeful, gazing down at her palms in melancholy for she does not know what to do.

For my artwork I used white and black charcoal, and graphite pencils on a mixed media pad. I used black charcoal to display Mary’s dejectedness and an outline of white charcoal to show that the Holy Spirit is upon her.

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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