Our Stage 3 students were given the opportunity to participate in the Christmas Story Art Exhibition and Competition, an initiative by the Catholic Education Office in Wollongong. This competition aims to celebrate and explore students’ creative talents in illustrating the Christmas story. Every newsletter throughout term four we will share with you the wonderful art that our St Anthony's students submitted this year.

We are thrilled to share that Year 5 student Juliano Spadone Garcia received a Highly Commended Award for his exceptional entry. His artwork is currently on display at the Wollongong Art Gallery, highlighting his impressive artistic ability. Congratulations, Juliano!

The Emotional Heart

Juliano Spadone Garcia

St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School, Picton

Year Five

My artwork is about The Journey to Bethlehem from Luke 2:1–5. This story is about Mary and Joseph travelling to Bethlehem, even though it was a long, hard journey. I think this journey was not just walking and riding, but also a journey in their hearts. They would have felt many different emotions at the same time—happiness because Jesus was coming, fear because they didn’t know what would happen, and love because they trusted God and each other.

In my picture I made the bleeding heart to show all of these emotions mixed together. It shows that their love was so strong it overflowed, even when the journey was hard. The bleeding heart also shows how much courage it took for them to keep going.

I can connect this story to my own life because sometimes journeys today are also difficult. We might not walk to Bethlehem, but we go through times that are tiring, scary, or exciting. Just like Mary and Joseph, we have to keep going and trust that love and faith will guide us.

The Guided Journey

Emmeline Magee

St. Anthony’s Catholic Primary School Picton

Year Six

My artwork is based on the scripture passage Luke 2:1-7, The Journey to Bethlehem. I have named my artwork “The Guided Journey” because the star guides Mary and Joseph on their journey.  I have chosen to use pencils for the background so that the silhouette of Mary and Joseph stand out with yellow pencil as a glow of holiness.

The background has a blend of different shades of blue and different shades of purple. I used black sharpie to make silhouettes of Mary, Joseph and the trees so that the shine of the star pops out. I have layered uneven cut out stars to show that baby Jesus is about to be born and the star is guiding Mary and Joseph on their long journey. The stars behind the front star are uneven to show that there are many stars behind the front star that people have wished for the new king to come soon. I have used erasers to make the star shine down on them. 

The trees in my artwork have leaves blowing in the opposite direction that Mary and Joseph with the donkey are travelling in to show that Mary and Joseph pushed through the challenges to get to their destination. I have used four different colours. Mary had four important people whom she loved in her life, Joseph, Jesus, God, and the people. I have four important people whom I love in my life, my Mum, my Dad, my brother, and my friends.

The shine also represents that God has faith in Mary and Joseph and He is watching them always even when times are hard. Challenges like this, of God’s mission, my faith will continue to grow my strength and my belief in Christ.

Outshining Love

Imogen Short

St. Anthony’s Catholic Primary School Picton

Year Six

My artwork is inspired by the scripture ‘Luke 2:7’. I named my artwork ‘Outshining Love’ because it symbolises the love Mary and Jesus will forever have for each other. Mary only having one sleeve brings attention to the fact she had to cover up her pain, and her having one arm free symbolises she went through visible pain and stress during her pregnancy. The heart with a cross and a flame is a symbol of Virgin Mary, so it brings light to her as a human being, while also symbolising Jesus Christ through the cross.

I mostly used a normal lead pencil, pressing down to create darker shades across different portions of the art. I purposely made the flame on the heart and cross the darkest section on the artwork because it shows the brightness of the flame, and makes it pop out on the artwork. I drew both Mary and Jesus faceless because of all the hardships they both faced in life, and I feel deeply connected to this particular piece as I feel everyone has been through hardships in life, whether big or small. I added the sparkles around Mary’s symbol to show the stars that would’ve highlighted the sky during the night of Jesus’ birth. 

Torn Between Two Lives

Everley Wetton

St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School, Picton

Year Five

My artwork is about Mary, Joseph, and the birth of Jesus, which is told in Luke 2:9–14. In this part of the Bible, the angels appeared to the shepherds in the fields at night and told them the good news that the Saviour had been born. The sky lit up with God’s glory, and the shepherds were filled with both fear and joy. That is why I painted a night sky full of stars and light.

In my picture, Mary is holding baby Jesus with Joseph close by. I wanted to show how Mary may have felt torn through tearing the paper—she was carrying the Son of God but also still had her own life to live. This reminds me that sometimes we face choices that feel heavy, but God gives us courage and love to keep going.

I added shepherd  staffs into my painting to show the connection to the scripture. The staffs are symbols of the shepherds who heard the angels and went to find Jesus. Just like the shepherds trusted the angel’s message, we can trust that God is with us.

I used paint and splatter techniques to create the galaxy background because the night Jesus was born was extraordinary and full of wonder.

The Divine Odyssey

Eve Bruna

St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School, Picton

Year Five

My artwork is called The Divine Odyssey, which means a holy journey. It is based on Luke 2:1–5, where Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem. Their journey was very tough through the hot desert, but they trusted God to guide them.

In my artwork, I used water lilies to represent Mary and Joseph. A water lily begins as a tiny seed deep in the mud, and it has to push through the dark water to reach the light. This is like Mary and Joseph’s journey, which was full of challenges, but they kept going because of their faith. Just as a lily grows into something beautiful, their journey led to the birth of Jesus,  the most beautiful gift for the world.

The blue lily shows Mary, calm and gentle, while the orange lily shows Joseph, strong and brave. The seed on the lily pad is Jesus, ready to grow into the greatest flower of all—the Son of God. The water also shows God’s love, carrying them forward like the current of a river.

I used oil pastels to make bright colours and shading to bring the lilies to life. The story reminds me that even when life is hard, like the seed in the mud, we can grow with love, courage, and God’s help.