"Travel feeds my work on many levels. I recently visited the cities of Vienna and Prague, and was attracted to weathered surfaces of stone and marble accented with tippets of gold. The gold was a surprise pop—catching the light in unexpected ways in paintings, decorative arts, and architecture. It brought the buildings to life with a beautiful combination of rustic and refined surfaces.

"This experience influenced the techniques I used on the Starry Night Nativity, like gold leaf application and gradations of color. I embellished the surfaces with gold dots—symbolizing light, or energy, hope, inner strength... Gold connotes preciousness and enduring value, and I wanted this to be a special piece, that would be kept for a long time, or possibly handed down within families.

"Starry Night Nativity challenged me to tell a story and engage the viewer in a small space. All the figures fit into an 8" box that opens up as a triptych and reveals a starry night encircling an intimate scene. My use of deep gradated blues and sparkly gold is a jewel-like reference to historical objects of art.

"I designed this piece to be versatile enough to display year-round, on a table or a wall; open or closed. The outside doors reflect nature and the cycles of life—regeneration, renewal, rebirth. These themes influence everything I make."

• Name: Starry Night Nativity
• Materials: resin, brass
• Measurements: Height: 21.6cm, Width: 20.3cm x 5.1cm (When closed)
• Hinged resin box; applied gold leaf. Can be hung on wall or free standing. Hanger style: 2 keyholes. Weighs approximately 5.5 pounds.
• Hanger style: keyhole
• Sentiment: ...and heaven and nature sing