Our main Christmas tree (we have five!) is very tall and very skinny. Each year, we take down the art work that usually hangs on the wall behind where the tree is now situated. Every year, the wall looks empty except for the little area taken up by our thin tree. Art to the rescue!

I bought two 16”x20” canvases, and began with a layer of blue base paint. I varied the color a little and used some bubble wrap to add some texture to the blue (see close-up photo below).

I then traced a circle on each canvas, using a large plate/charger. I painted one circle red and one green, trying my best to add shading so the circles looked like spheres.

I then made the top of the ornament with gold paint.

Finally, I worked on the twinkling lights. I added a dab of yellow and a dab of white to each spot. I wanted to make them look obscured, so I stamped a champagne cork on top of each spot and twisted the cork to blend the yellow and white and obscure the edges.

I’m not sure I have the lights just right, but they’ll work for now.

My last step was to use a well-sharpened charcoal pencil to trace all the parts around each ornament, and then to trace over the charcoal with a wet brush.

I’m moderately happy with the results. The paintings will never hang in a museum, but they sure solved my blank wall problem!