'Prepare the Way'
Declan Tuckey, Year 5
St John's Catholic Parish Primary School, Dapto

“In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD”.

In creating my artwork I endeavoured to illustrate how the people prepared their lands for the coming of our Saviour, based on Isaiah 40:3-5.

I wanted to create a 3D effect and in doing so I found myself understanding how they would have navigated the challenges before them, as I did with my own artwork. I used wood and shaped it, smoothing the edges to lead to the pathway through the centre of my piece. I used putty to create the texture of the mountains, depicting the rough terrains they would have endured folding into the smooth, straight path they created for our Lord. I created depth by using spacers that created shadowing between the mountains.

As I progressively smoothed the edges of the mountains, I thought this would have been much the same as the path being created over time. Improving, widening, smoothing each part of my artwork, remembering that it all started with one man, like me and my artwork. That man then led others to do as he did. I think we can all personally relate this to our daily lives, as we strive to do good for others.

By creating a 3D effect, I feel it emphasises the mountains folding in and the pathway being the focal point. I used sand on the pathway as I believe it would resemble the ground underneath their sandals. The path leads to the bright sunlight at the back, representing the coming of our LORD.
 

Listen to Declan's description of his artwork below...

View more of our Christmas Story Art Exhibition 2021 artworks by clicking on our young artists' names in the teal panel. Alternatively, click through our artworks below.