#advent

8: Do Not Be Afraid

In January 2020, I left behind full-time art to begin nine months of Americorps service with Virginia State Parks. It was everything missing from my art career–outside every day, working hard with people on physical projects, and learning NEW skills (prescribed burning, trail building, invasives management, chainsaws, etc). I was in a new environment and completely out of my element, and I absolutely loved it.
Then March happened.
I had maintained a few clients while doing Americorps, but almost all of them dissipated when the pandemic hit. Our travel between parks was shut down, but as the nature of our work was outdoors and spread out, we were able to continue without interruption–a blessing I know was not common for pandemic-impacted jobs. Suddenly everyone BUT me was working at home, alone, indoors all the time. I got to keep working outside, wandering through the woods in search of autumn olive, in hollering distance from my coworkers. I thought to myself how lucky I had been. I thought also about how unlucky others had been.
The end of the year brought little respite, though I really, really enjoyed my time with Virginia State Parks and finished my Americorps service successfully. I didn’t really want to do a cutesy bird Christmas card–it seemed tone-deaf and trite. I almost decided not to do one at all, especially since I was still not enjoying drawing.
And I didn’t intend for this to be a Christmas card. I was doodling while thinking about Advent, and the woodcut art on the church bulletins of my childhood, and fear of the future, and Biblical angels, and, as usual, birds. It wasn’t until I was done that I thought about sharing it. It was the first thing in about a year that came easily–almost like it drew itself.
I’ll end with what I wrote when I originally posted it to Patreon: “This is a… weird holiday card. 2020 was a weird year. I am uncertain about what is to come. But there are many stories in human history, across our millions of years years as a species, about the unknown–and we always manage to meet it. And sometimes it is unexpectedly good.”

#hope #advent #future #merrychristmas #happyholidays #biblicalangel
https://www.instagram.com/p/CX48-R6MM2u/?utm_medium=tumblr

6: Winter’s Warmth

By December 2018 another whirlwind was at my back. I was wrapping up the first year I’d worked full-time for myself making art–without starving, contrary to the old, tired, and increasingly inaccurate stereotype. I had a few major projects with the CLO and an educational video game, and a number of other conservation or non-profit clients. I was making art in general at a furious rate. And it was during this first year, my relationship with art-making started to become unhealthy.

The complete absence of a steady paycheck scared the absolute heck out of me. I had zero example of how to manage this, and at the time “hustle/entrepreneur” culture was going strong, without much critique on its impact on well-being. So I worked. And worked and worked and worked, and if I was awake, I was either working or thinking about working. This culminated in a visit to the ER, with a migraine so bad and weird I thought I might be having a stroke.
That was enough of a wake-up call that I started establishing some boundaries. I started being more comfortable with saying “no” to clients with projects that didn’t fit me, and charging more responsible rates for those who did. This did not happen overnight, and is still in progress to this day.

I also didn’t do it alone. One of the joys of being in Charlottesville was getting to know my awesome sister (@abiggril) as an adult, and meet her wonderful friends, who welcomed me into their community with open arms. (And lots of board games and food!) They continue to be some of my favorite people, even though I live across the mountain now.
Last but far from least, my biggest supporter, best friend, and partner was there with me through it all. He’s the kind of partner that definitely inspires a goopy mistletoe-y snuggly sort of Christmas card.

If you have friends, family, partners, pets–any Being of any kind who makes your days rich with love this chilly season, consider telling them so once you finish reading this. And consider, if you/they are a touchy/feely type, a good hug.

#happyholidays #throwback #advent #birdart #whimsical #watercolor #inkbirds #winterbirds #birdartist #inkbirds #love #loveisthething

https://www.instagram.com/virginiagreeneillustration/p/CXyhJm8Li0f/?utm_medium=tumblr

5: The Road Ahead

2017 was a whirlwind of a year. I was making up for my hermit-like college years with ferocity–in addition to working at the Lab of O, I had joined two church choirs, gotten engaged in some community volunteering, and was socializing most nights of the week and weekend. Everything was going well and sprinting forward, and I could see a concrete future for myself coalescing that checked all of my boxes–something I’d been pursuing since I left my parent’s home 10 years prior.
Then a significant personal snag occured, and that envisioned future became so much fog. I was not sure what was next again.
It was in that fog, sitting at a coffeeshop in Burlington, VT, that I painted this image that went on to be my Christmas card for the year. I wasn’t very familiar with Stoicism at the time, but had unconsciously made for myself a little Stoic scholar in the form of this ruffed grouse.

The untouched snow ahead beckons. There are many ways to leave a trail, and all of them lead to life–with the right attitude, a life lived well. But no matter what, your job as One Who Lives is to press on–one foot in front of the other.

#happyholidays #throwback #advent #birdart #whimsical #watercolor #inkbirds #winterbirds #birdartist #theroadahead #journey #memories #ruffedgrouse #gouache #stoicism
https://www.instagram.com/virginiagreeneillustration/p/CXv8BGwrm3x/?utm_medium=tumblr

3: Winter Birds of the East Coast

The end of 2015 found me a lot more confident and a lot happier. The end of my masters was in sight, with all my research trials (or so I thought, haha) behind me and one long semester of writing ahead. My work-wife and best buddy Sarah and I were killing it every day–teaching in the classroom, doing research in the lab, and getting swole at the gym. (We also enjoyed putting together outfits with whatever we had in our closets, which are some of the earliest things I documented on Instagram.) With more of a handle on things non-art related, I found myself drawing and thinking about art a lot more often.
There was a poster in my office in Millington (RIP, the building has since been torn down and only exists in W&M students’ memories) that had been left by some long-graduated student titled “Birds of the Garden” by Larry McQueen, of North American birds in winter. If you’re not familiar with McQueen’s work, definitely look him up! I looked at this poster all the time and loved how the birds in it were ALIVE, going about their business in the snow even as their species names hovered beside them. As I started thinking about that year’s holiday card, I wondered–what if I did that, but silly? And here we are.
This is still one of the most popular cards I’ve ever done, and I still sell packs of them to friends and family. It spun into card “sequels”, as I did Birds of the East Coast for the other three seasons. This card also led in part to one of the greatest adventures and turning points of my life–but that’s getting ahead of myself. ;)
PS - Sarah, if you’re reading this, I love you!

#happyholidays #throwback #advent #birdart #whimsical #throwback #watercolorbirds #winterbirds #birdartist
https://www.instagram.com/p/CXO11SKFZRj/?utm_medium=tumblr

The weather is shitty, cold, windy and wet. C= Still, I wish you a very nice sunday and a happy 2nd advent!

Sweet Claire, from our new gallery “Advent” on www.girls-mag.de

Humanity’s greatest event

ADVENT CALENDAR DAY 5

Page from a 15th-century Book of Hours, likely made in Northeast France. Glencairn Museum, Bryn Athyn, PA, 07.MS.639.

This scene of the Wise Men presenting their gifts to the Christ Child is from a page in a 15th-century Flemish medieval prayer book known as the Book of Hours. These personal prayer books contained devotions appropriate for the eight canonical hours of the day, as well as other prayers and texts. According to the Gospel of Matthew, “And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (2:11). 

Here the gifts of the Wise Men take the form of three golden chalices. Both the Christ Child, who sits on Mary’s lap, and Mary herself, have haloes, but the infant Christ’s halo incorporates the sign of the cross. The clothing of the Wise Men suggests that they have come from three different of countries, while their hair and beards suggest three different ages: youth, adult, and old age. In the left-hand border of the page, two hounds are depicted chasing a white rabbit. Below the main scene is a peacock. 

Every day, from December 1 through December 25, a new work of Nativity art from the Glencairn Museum collection will appear on the home page of our Advent calendar (Follow the Star: A 2021 Advent Calendar). To receive these in your newsfeed, follow our social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr).

ADVENT CALENDAR DAY 4

Stained-glass panel by Winfred S. Hyatt and Lawrence Saint from the Christmas window in Glencairn’s Chapel. The window was made from 1928 to 1956. Glencairn Museum, Bryn Athyn, PA.

This stained-glass panel, made in the Bryn Athyn glassworks, depicts the visit of the Wise Men (sometimes called Magi) to the infant Jesus, with the Star of Bethlehem shining above. According to the Gospel of Matthew, “When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh” (2:9–12). This scene is in the Christmas window on the south wall of Glencairn’s Chapel. 

The meaning of the term Magi (in Greek magoi) in the context of Matthew’s narrative has been a topic of discussion since the early days of the Christian Church. They have been variously described as “sages,” “diviners,” “astrologers,” or “priests.” As early as the third century, however, some interpreters of the Bible began to identify the Wise Men as kings, in connection with a prophesy found in the Book of Psalms in the Hebrew Bible: “May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles render him tribute, may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts!” (Psalm 72:10). By the time of the Middle Ages, the “three kings” were being depicted in art with crowns and elaborate garments.

Every day, from December 1 through December 25, a new work of Nativity art from the Glencairn Museum collection will appear on the home page of our Advent calendar (Follow the Star: A 2021 Advent Calendar). To receive these in your newsfeed, follow our social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr).

ADVENT CALENDAR DAY 3

Stone with polychromy, made in France during the late 15th-century. Glencairn Museum, Bryn Athyn, PA, 09.SP.83.

According to the Gospel of Luke (1:39–56), after the angel Gabriel told Mary that she would give birth to Jesus, the Son of God, she traveled to visit her cousin Elizabeth. This event is commonly called the Visitation. In this 15th-century sculpture group from France, Mary (left), who is pregnant with Jesus, holds a rosary, a set of prayer beads often seen in medieval art. Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist, touches her cousin’s womb. According to Luke, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary she was filled with the Holy Spirit, and proclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” (1:42). This sculptural group may have been made for a private chapel dedicated to either Saint Elizabeth or Saint John the Baptist.

Every day, from December 1 through December 25, a new work of Nativity art from the Glencairn Museum collection will appear on our website (Follow the Star: A 2021 Advent Calendar. To receive these in your newsfeed, follow the Museum’s social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr).

ADVENT CALENDAR DAY TWO

Stained-glass panel by Winfred S. Hyatt from the Christmas window in Glencairn’s Chapel in Bryn Athyn, PA. The window was made by Lawrence Saint and Winfred Hyatt from 1928 to 1956. Glencairn Museum, Bryn Athyn, PA.

This stained-glass panel, made in the Bryn Athyn glassworks, depicts the moment when the angel Gabriel announces to Mary, who is resting on a bed indoors, that she has been chosen to be the mother of Jesus Christ. According to the Gospel of Luke, the angel said, “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus” (1:31). The scene is at the top of the Christmas window on the south wall of Glencairn’s Chapel. While the lower scenes in this window were copied from the original 13th-century church of Sainte-Radegonde outside the city of Poitiers, France, this Annunciation seems to have been designed by Bryn Athyn artist Winfred S. Hyatt. (An Annunciation scene has not survived from the window at Sainte-Radegonde.)

Every day, from December 1 through December 25, a new work of Nativity art from the Glencairn Museum collection will appear on our website (Follow the Star: A 2021 Advent Calendar). To receive these in your newsfeed, follow the Museum’s social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr).

ADVENT CALENDAR DAY ONE

Fresco by an unknown artist from the Clarissan monastery of Santa Maria inter Angelos, near Spoleto, Italy (c. 1300). Glencairn Museum, Bryn Athyn, PA, 08.FS.07.

The story of the Annunciation to Mary comes from the Gospel of Luke (1:26–38), in which the angel Gabriel appears to Mary and informs her that she will give birth to Jesus, the Son of God. This large, 13th-century Italian fresco in Glencairn’s Great Hall depicts the moment when Gabriel delivers this astonishing news. The angel says to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.” (Luke 1:30–31). Gabriel, on the right with wings and a halo, walks toward Mary with his hands in a gesture of blessing. Mary, also wearing a halo, inclines her head, which is covered with a cloak, to Gabriel.

Every day, from December 1 through December 25, a new work of Nativity art from the Glencairn Museum collection will appear on our website (Follow the Star: A 2021 Advent Calendar). To receive these in your newsfeed, follow the Museum’s social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr).