treasures and keepsakes

The crazy, hectic, frantic part of the holiday is over - let the festive and fantastic part begin! Time to relax, savor the fruits of your labor and enjoy the company of family and friends. And be thankful. Once again, my heartfelt thanks go to all of you who have supported my creative journey with your kind comments. I hope this holiday season brings you more joys than toys and you treasure memories with those whose smiles warmed your heart throughout the year.

Merry Christmas!

This is my first official Christmas painting and the subject is a family keepsake. A holiday painting is something I have always wanted to do, but never got around to. You know how it is at this busy time of year. Adding an oil painting to the seasonal preparations was never quite doable. The answer, this year, was to bake less and paint more! Not a bad trade-off in my book.

Somehow when you put something off and then finally get around to it, there seems to be more pressure to do a good job. (or is that just me?!) Well, it took awhile to come up with a composition, but I'm happy I chose these ornaments. They are real childhood keepsakes - perfect for the sentiment of the season. The red one is actually from my father's Christmas tree when he was a boy! Even though it's a bit tarnished, it's always been my favorite.

Christmas 1945, 8x8" oil on canvas panel © 2013 Dorothy Lorenze