St Monica of Hippo -Original Watercolor Painting
Saint Monica, mother of St Augustine
A Year of Saints: Created as part of the A Year of Saints Collection. Learn more about this collection and the outlook that shaped my process HERE.
Details: An original painting, unframed, 4x5.5 inches, pencil outline layered in high quality watercolor pigments on cold-pressed (textured) paper. Artist's signature clearly visible in fine-tipped brown art pen.
Watercolor paintings develop layer by layer until the portrait comes into focus — glowing and intricate. This particular palette is warm and neutral, with darker tones to reflect St. Monica's many sorrows.
This piece highlights the suffering she endured because of her husband and her son, while her downcast eyes shows that she is praying, ever devoted and ever trusting in Our Lord's plan. Her pose and expression leaves a feeling of longing in the observer, and the visible layering of watercolor adds an interest in even the smallest details.
Inspiration: Saint Monica is a champion for all wives and mothers because of her complete devotion to prayer for her husband and her son, in spite of all evidence indicating that they were lost. She was committed to her marriage, even when her husband wasn't, and she never ceased praying for his conversion, which did not come to fuition until his death bed.
Famously, it is St. Monica's influence that brought about St. Augustine's conversion, as he describes in his Confessions. She promised him that she would live to see his conversion, and her devoted prayers brought us one of the greatest Theologians of all time!
As always, I researched tirelessly to honor her ethnicity and time in history. St. Monica was a Berber woman native to modern-day northern Algeria, and I reflected this heritage in her facial features, coloring, and dress.
Framing: I imagine this painting floating over a mat in a neutral white or cream color to highlight the palette and best showcase the portrait. I'd set it in a frame that complements your home’s aesthetic, perhaps in a wood or simple, warm metalic.
More information on how to best preserve and frame your artwork will come with your painting shippment. Please feel free to email me at rosalie.ardentdraws@gmail.com with any other questions!
