I've been trying to find time to sit at my paint table this year to do a little creating and I have to admit it's been a challenge. But, recently I've been feeling more inspired and had to pick up my brushes even if only for a couple hours at a time. The most difficult part is seeing the vision for my canvas. Sometimes it flows naturally and other times it comes in bits and pieces. I started this painting a little different than usual.
Normally I paint from the top down, but I was having a difficult time picking a theme. I knew I wanted a general store / mercantile in the center and a Christmas tree in the front, so I started with the buildings first. Finishing each house helped me to start to see the vision and sometimes things change as the painting developes.
Evergreens were added and the road through the town took a couple changes.
More snow was added (this is the fun part) and landscaping helped to settle the houses into the scene. Finally an idea came to me to add tiny cross country skiers to the stop of the hill along with a cozy cabin where they could warm up by a cozy fire.
A small truck was added on the road heading to the general store and two snowmen in their finery were added to each side of the tree.
That is how the painting "Village of Snowflake" came to life.
Margie and Dave own "The Mercantile" in Snowflake. Cross- country skiers love to gather around the potbelly stove to sip hot cocoa or coffee before heading back to the slopes. The store is stocked with everything from snow gear to groceries. Delbert who owns the local tree farm is delivering a Christmas tree in his green pickup and will stop in to say hello and pick up some groceries before heading home. The children in the village enjoy building snowmen, skiing, and having snowball fights. As the sun goes down the windows start to glow, Christmas trees twinkle in the windows, and the scent of sugar cookies magically clings to the crisp cold air.
