The story that lives inside this painting:
Rosy cheeks buffeted by the blowing snow, Nick walked toward his waiting sleigh. Pulling his heavy jacket close about his face, he prepared for the evening’s journey. Undaunted by the coming weather, he brushed the snow off the cushioned seat and sat, ready saying aloud, “Fly my reindeer into the night. We have gifts to bring to all the world.” Then the sleigh leaped into the starry sky swiftly with purpose it rose until it merged with the twinkly stars.
A Return to Portraiture in Oil
It’s one of the first portraits I’ve completed in nearly twenty years — and one of my very first in oils. While studying art, I spent long hours drawing the human form and working through portrait assignments, learning structure, proportion, and expression. Life and creative seasons shifted after that, and slowly gave way to graphic and web design.
Coming back to the face after all this time felt both familiar and new.
I imagined this piece as Nick’s Rosy Cheeks is a moment of pause before the magic begins. No workshop bustle, no sleigh bells yet. Just Nick, wrapped in his heavy coat, cheeks flushed from the cold, gathering himself before Christmas Eve.
approached this portrait with loose, intuitive brushwork, letting the oils speak in layers and texture rather than perfection. The goal wasn’t realism — it was mood. Warm fur against cold air. Quiet resolve behind kind eyes. That moment between stillness and motion.
Returning to portraiture reminded me how much I love telling stories through faces. This piece feels like a doorway back into that part of my practice — one I’m excited to keep exploring.
Sometimes art waits patiently for us to come back to it.
Original Sold: This is a 9″x 12″ original oil painting. Painted on wood panel. Frame not included. The frame can be displayed without a frame.