Finding peace in chaos

I have been offline and working hard to complete some commissioned pet portraits for the holidays. Unfortunately, I can't share them until they've been received, or else they will not be a surprise for the recipients. So, instead I'm sharing a recent experiment I completed. I think it's reflective of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. On the one hand, the masses are out and about and doing crazy things (at least that was my experience last week as I undertook some brief shopping of my own). On the other hand, the brilliant moon, twinkle lights in the darkness, the Christmas boat parade on the river outside my window, and the hot tea in my cup fills me up sometimes with a sense of gratitude and inner peace as the winter solstice approaches.

I started this project as something completely different than how it ended up. I bought some new paper which I thought would work well with watercolors, but it really didn't. So instead, I mixed some molding gel and acrylic paint into the watercolor scene that I had started. Then I used the brush to make the textured swirls that are seen in the background. I wanted to then add something that would be of contrast, so I sought out a photo of an olive branch, a symbol of peace, for inspiration. And, this is how it ended up as "Juxtaposition." I think I like experimenting the best!