the christmas in the backyard

 It's the most wonderful time of the year... It's Christmas in June! This different-kind of portrait is very dear, and if you've been here long enough, then you'll probably recognise the characters. This would be the 6th painting I've made for this family, and I've been along for the journey since before their kid was born. This is actually how this collaboration began. Each year, for Christmas, the mom asks me to make a portrait of that year, in a nutshell. It's funny, great and sometimes sad to see what they've gone through, but a success story in the end. And to see the little boy grow from one year to the next is just amazing. He's really the central piece of everything. Here's a rundown of all their other portraits: number 5, number 4, number 3 (the second one), number 2 (the second one) and number 1 (the second one), it took a while to track these all down, but I did it... mostly for myself. Made it easier for next year. I'm rambling... here's today's portrait: