St. Nicholas of Myra
Protector of the Innocents c. 275 – 342
Patronage Bakers, pawnbrokers, the wrongfully Accused, Newly Weds, Those on Death-Row
Feast Day December 6
Fun Fact
As Nicholas arrived from out of town, crowds shouted for his help. Upon learning that 3 innocent men were about to be executed, he ran through the city. As the executioner raised his sword, Nicholas snatched it out of his hands and freed the men. Bishop Nicholas charged the magistrate of greed and treachery.
Prayer
Saint Nicholas, intercede to the Holy Ghost that I may receive protection when I'm wrongfully condemned by those with power.
Amen.
Artwork
The original painting was made by Jaroslav Čermák (1831 - 1878) - Sv. Mikuláš. It humbles me whenever I’m able to create artwork with a talented artist’s image of a saint. I particularly like how Bishop Nicholas is wearing a necklace of the Blessed mother.
The flowers come from photos taken at my church during Christmas time. The Poinsettias and red flowers harken to Christmas without blatancy. Santa Claus is based of Nicholas, and I wanted to make sure to dance on that line without crossing it. If you look closely, you can even see some Poinsettia shadows toward the top within the watercolour texture.
I felt able to use blue and pink in the background teetering toward the Christmas colours we all know so well, but without being explicit. I do this because although the modern Santa Claus is an exaggerated marketing mascot, he was inspired by the real man here. It’s important to make this connection because at the heart of Christmas, is an incredible witness of Christ simply trying to bring us closer to the Lord.
Biography
We’ll get there…