Nativity Peasant Girl

Inspiration

s I contemplated which other characters to add to The Nativity ornaments collection, my grandmother’s creche came to mind. My grandmother’s nativity scene set consisted of many figurines. Indeed, it had santons depicting all sorts of activities, jobs, and trades. There were farmers cultivating the soil, and blacksmiths making iron implements. There were carpenters making furniture, and ranchers milking cows. And there were women washing the laundry, and cooks cooking over an open fire. Also, they were peasants carrying straw on their shoulders. These figurines were magnificent! Truly, my favorite one was a young girl carrying bundles of flowers as if she was heading to the market. Since I had already created the Shepherd ornament, which was a boy, it was time to create a girl ornament. Thus, this specific favorite santon was my inspiration for the Nativity Peasant Girl ornament.

Nativity Peasant Girl Ornament Design Process

My design had to do justice to that little figurine that I loved so much as a little girl. So, I created a peasant girl that would offer flowers to Baby Jesus. Thus, I chose a palette of pink tones for her robes to represent her youth. Then, I hand painted her face with light brown eyes and gave her a tender expression. Next, I covered her head with a headscarf that allowed her brown hair to cascade down her sides. Thirdly, I gave her a bunch of white Baby’s Breath that she holds close to her chest. Finally, I added a white dove by her feet. She is about to present her humble flowers to Baby Jesus as she gazes in contemplation. Expressly, the dove symbolizes the innocence of our inner child and that of the Christ Child.