Hear a behind the scenes story of how Joni created her “Cradle to the Cross” art piece.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, all ready to start the Christmas season.
I recall the time when I started the season with Billy Graham. It was a long time ago when I used to speak on his crusades. And in the early 1980s, his Evangelistic Association was in the middle of planning a Christmas television special. And Mr. Graham wanted to offer a gift to his viewers, and he had this idea of giving a piece of artwork, an original art print of Mary holding Baby Jesus. But he wanted it to be really unique, either a drawing or painting of Mary holding Christ the child. And he said, “You know what? I think Joni Eareckson Tada is the artist to do that painting! She’s the one to come up with a unique drawing of Mary and Jesus.”
Well, the following week, BGEA called to tell me that Billy Graham had selected me to create their Christmas gift for the TV special! Well, who’s going to say ‘no’ to Billy Graham, right? I wasn’t going to be the one! So, I was extremely honored, but I wondered, Yikes! There are a million paintings of Mary and Jesus. Famous paintings by da Vinci, and Ferruzzi, and Raphael, and Caravaggio, and Botticelli. What in the world could I possibly do that would be different or all that unique?! Well, I prayed about it. And I got an idea! Why not draw Mary resting against a bed of straw while and holding her baby and then, paint the garment covering her legs in such a way that they eventually become the folds of fabric that are the hills leading to Mt. Calvary? And there, in the hazy distance, I could paint the 3 crosses very faintly, as if the viewer is being invited down that road to the cross. Well after all, we can’t rejoice over what happened in the cradle until we see what happens on the cross.
Now, I thought this was one of those, you know, unearthly ideas that you know aren’t original with you; they come from the kindness of God giving you his vision. Well, Mr. Graham really like the concept. And so did his team. And that’s when I got started. I experimented with compositional lines to place the baby on one plane – a heavenly one bathed in divine light. And then Mary would be on the other side of that compositional line, on an earthly plane. That would be different! After I did a rough sketch of the composition, I needed a model. Actually, I needed two models, one of them, a tiny infant. So, I asked Diane, a secretary at World Wide Pictures to pose for me [I should explain that World Wide is the film branch of the Billy Graham Association. They made the Joni movie]. Well, the next day Diane brought in yards of fabric and her neighbor’s baby. After a few hours, I had all the preliminary sketches I needed. At first, I thought the drawing would be the basis for an oil painting; but I liked the line-quality of my pastel pencils so much, I decided to leave it as a museum quality sketch.
Now, I would love for you to see this pastel pencil rendering of what I call “The Nativity.” And I posted an image today, as well as a link to the video in which I explain more about this unusual piece of art. So, visit joniradio.org to see it, and as you look for those 3 crosses faintly in the distance, in the background, be inspired to reflect on how the birth of Jesus must always be celebrated in the context of his death and resurrection. For only then does Advent make sense. Oh, and by the way, Billy Graham really liked my rendering of “The Nativity.” And I breathe a big ‘Whew, thank goodness!’
Hear a behind the scenes story of how Joni created her “Cradle to the Cross” art piece.
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