“First Snow”

I’d found this frame in a resale shop last spring. It’s actually metal. Had my handyman cut some 1/4″ plywood to fit. I wasn’t sure what image to put in it, but last week I knew it would have to be a deer. Up here in northern Michigan, deer season is quite the event. Almost bigger than Christmas. I see deer as troublesome, naughty creatures that chew up my flowers, so I’m happy for the hunters. A few days ago I began trying to draw this in but it was a struggle. Would I ever get body parts looking right? Ears and horns the right size and angle? Ever so many ways to screw up! And then what to do with the background? Yesterday the first big snowstorm of the season blew in and that got me all excited. I flew out to the studio and kept staring out the window, painting just how it looked in my yard. Piece of cake!