Santa in his Sleigh - miniature

Santa in his Sleigh
Oil on canvas, 4x4 - gallery wrapped

This nostalgic Christmas scene is one more in my "12 Santas of Christmas"!  I find that I am migrating to stronger color in these little paintings.  I am still using the square canvases, and the big plus is that they fit nicely on the tiny easels.  The painting continues off all four sides, so it is rather dimensional as it sits on display.  I did underestimate how long it would take the oils to dry, though!  The first one painted on Saturday is STILL wet!  Every day is now filled with SO many activities - I don't know how I will get them all done!  I am rising earlier and staying up later.......there will be time for sleeping after the first of the year!  Painting number 718 in 718 days :)

Santa Sleigh Ride

Santa Sleigh Ride
Oil on canvas, 8x6

We have a lovely snow on the ground - so it looks like we are going to have a white Christmas!  Today, my routine was completely off schedule, and it was late before I found a "painting window".  Looking for something a little vintage, I thought a reindeer and sleigh might be a nice platform for today's Santa.  Somedays the paint just flows from the brush, but today was not one of those days.  With so much on my mind, and so little sleep as of late, I had to work a little harder.  I will probably touch this up tomorrow - painting number 351 in 351 days :)

Santa's Ride - miniature

Santa's Ride - miniature
acrylic on canvas with easel, 2x3
sold

After baking 96 cookies for tonight's Cookie Walk and reception in downtown Lee's Summit, I headed over to the gallery on this very brisk night.  Braving the 16 degree cold, so many visitors popped in tonight for a little art and red velvet white chocolate chip cookies!  It was so fun to see everyone and catch up with old friends!  This little painting was among the sales, so I wanted to get it posted tonight for others to see.  It is a more whimsical than my norm - and super fun to paint!   This little gem was my first jump back into acrylics in quite a while.  Feeling playful with this tiny canvas, I envisioned Santa's sleigh and tiny reindeer wrapping up as if to circle the moon.  Using rather fanciful strokes and dropping in the color sporadically, I was able to spontaneously paint this little bit of whimsy by the lake.  It is fun to pull a painting out of my head once in a while - instead of working en plein air.  Santa is quick - and I'm afraid I'd have a hard time capturing him with paint during the night of Christmas Eve!  Painting number 333 in 333 days :)

Sleigh Ride

Sleigh Ride
Oil on canvas, 10x8
GOT Art Gallery Holiday Trunk Show

After a full day of visiting with family in from Australia, tonight finds me painting in a vintage theme.  I have never painted a horse-drawn sleigh before, so this is my first attempt, possibly a Christmas card candidate!  I am really playing with the grays here, pushing a little prussian blue in with a little violet.  I will need to take another photo, as the blues do not appear as strong as they are in the night lighting.  I have discovered that I do not like using the palette knife on canvas - the wood panels accept the knife marks so much better, without all of the skipping off the tops of the canvas tooth.  Painting number 322 in 322 days.