home for the holidays

Here's a merry doorway I painted for a Christmas Card design.

This is for a lovely couple who happen to be good friends of mine. Every time we ran into each other at weddings this fall, we would brainstorm about what I should paint for their card. Partridges in a pear tree? Pheasants in a snowy wood? There was a lot of discussion of birds...

Ultimately though, when it was time to sit down and paint, I thought of their charming, beautifully decorated Charlottesville home and how festive it could look decked out for a rustic, snowy Christmas.

Of course, my artwork couldn't hold a candle to the adorable picture of their puppy inside. I can't wait to send a Christmas card next year after the wedding when it is finally socially acceptable to send a card from the royal us. Sending a Christmas card is one of my main motivating factors for getting married. I have had our first Christmas card illustration in my head for about three years...