The Holidays are my favorite time of year. Perhaps it is because the long days of harvest are over and we can relax. Perhaps it is because we gather together, friends and family, for great conversations, delicious meals and wonderful wines, too. Perhaps it is because we go to the mountains, spend the day skiing or snowshoeing and return back to the cabin to enjoy a well-chilled bottle of Chardonnay. Perhaps it is because all of these simple pleasures that I love the Holidays.
When Scott asked me earlier this year to create a new watercolor for the Holidays, I thought it would be fun to capture a scene from our mountain cabin. Built back in the early 1950’s, it is a very rustic, but well-loved place. After a day out and about, we always line our skis and snowshoes up against the wall and then strategically place a couple of bottles in the snow right near the door so we can grab them easily. I enjoyed working on this watercolor because it brought back so many memories. There’s nothing like a cold glass of Chardonnay after a long day out on the mountain!
A couple of friends who have seen my new watercolor have asked me which part was the most difficult. They all assumed it was the snowshoes, but they were wrong. While the detail of the snowshoes took a long time, it was the skis that were the most challenging because they are so simple. The model for the skis is a pair of my own; they have a red stripe down one side and a blue down the other. When I first painted them, they looked too busy against the cabin wall, so I changed the red stripe to blue. I felt that I needed to respect the simplicity of the scene.
I hope you enjoy my latest watercolor and I wish you the very best this Holiday Season.