Look at examples of the story of the Annunication in art history, then create a modern-day version of the event, changing the traditional ways of representing the event.

 

Solution 

        I focused on Mary's age and the fact that it was a supernatural event. Mary was only a young girl (about  12-15 years old) when the angel Gabriel came to tell her she was with child, and not only that, but the Messiah. This event was something extremely supernatural. It's not just any day that angels appear and give the news

of a Savior. 

        In my painting, I wanted the focus to be completely on Mary and the angel/messenger, so I put her in an ambiguous background. Even though I love wings, I didn't want Gabriel represented the way he always was in the historical examples - as a humanized male angel. Thus, I made him into an orb of light, emphazising just how extraordinary it was. i also wanted to capture the emotions going through Mary at the time - a sense of wonder, alarm, curiousity, amazement, and acceptance.

 

The final pieces are 22x30" in watercolor on watercolor paper.

In the first piece, I wanted to keep the red and blue often seen in religious art, but have it less intense. I also wanted this one to be a more representational in order to see what was going on. I have the 3 ribbons connected to the messenger orb, representing the trinity, and then entering Mary's womb.

The second piece was more experiemental. I used a variety of watercolor techniques to convey the wonder and the supernaturalness of the Annunciation more.