What we learn from copying

We had two snow days in a row which meant that I got all kinds of things done at home. One was to make our holiday card.

When our children were little I would photograph them and then make a collage with their pictures. In later years I might make a series of original prints, and one year I made an abstract painting of poinsettias and cut it into card size pieces. Last year I had the genius realization that I could take a photograph of one of my paintings and get it turned into a card the same way anyone turns their family pictures into a card. I don't know why it took me so long to think of this. I used a painting of a leafless oak tree; it was very Bleak Mid-Winter. 

None of my paintings from the past year seemed appropriate, so I decided to start fresh. I was inspired by this woodblock print of travelers in the snow. I had forgotten how fun it can be to try and copy a work of art; there are so many details you only see when examining a picture up close. I punched up the colors because I suspect this print is pretty badly faded. Keeping it simple, I did my version in watercolor.

It was a nice way to spend a snowy afternoon.