Monday, November 12, 2018

The Legend of the Donkey


One day on a beautiful country lane in Ireland, we spotted a small group of donkeys on the edge of a field. When I got out of the car to take a picture, this one walked right up to us and stood quietly next to the stone wall. With its clearly defined cross marking on his back, we immediately remembered the legend of the cross. However, I didn’t realize that all purebred donkeys are born with a cross on their back, but not all of them are so visible. According to the legend, it is the gift our Lord gave to the humble donkey that carried Him into Jerusalem. According to the legend, the little donkey so loved his Master that he followed Him to Calvary. Grief-striken at the sight, he turned away but remained at his station at the foot of the cross. The shadow of the Cross fell upon him and from that day all purebred donkeys wear the Master’s Cross on their back.

This week’s painting, Humble Donkey, 8” x 12” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, seeks to capture this iconic Irish scene in a remote corner of County Donegal.  



No comments:

Post a Comment