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Christening

17" x 14", ink on Bristol board, 2005

This is one of my favourite paintings and features my cousin Donna holding my sister, Lena, during her Christening in 1976 (Donna happens to be our godmother and thus had the power to name us both). On the left is the priest anointing my sister with holy water or something.  I have no idea who any of the other people in the picture are, but the venue was St. Clement of Ohrid Orthodox Church in Toronto. My five year old self is somewhere in this room, probably very confused and very likely bored.

Everything seemed to come together so nicely in this painting: the likenesses of my cousin and the priest, the stained glass in the background, the stripes on Donna's dress, the crowd of extras (featuring a man holding the Fancy Gigantic Christening Candles), the Special Christening Implements (pitcher, cross, baby-dunking bowl) in the foreground, the possibly bored girl also in the foreground, and my baby sister's hilarious limbs flailing around, an unwitting participant in a weird ceremony centered on her. Awesome.



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