My final pet portrait of the year is done, packed up, and ready to be shipped off in time for Christmas. Thank you to everyone who commissioned one this year! What fun it is to receive new inspiration and get to "know" so many new furry friends who bring such joy to their owners. And it still amazes me to think that my paintings and illustrations are hanging in thousands of home around the world.
And now that my work is mostly done for the year, it's time for Christmas traditions with my four favorite little people. We've already decorated the tree, and made gingerbread houses with Grandma (which are all now in various states of demolition on my kitchen island!). Next up, paint brush cookies- my favorite! And hopefully we'll get some more snow soon. What good is an Alaskan winter without snow? We have the best backyard at our new house, with the perfect sledding hill. The two or three days this year that we had snow, I worked for hours to the joyous background noise of the laughter and happy screams of our kids and neighbors. What happy memories we are making in this new home!