The Christmas Tree Elf

In 2013, I started work with author Valentine Sheldon on a children's book about the origin of Christmas trees and Christmas Tree Elves. With 26 full color paintings, it was a massive project to say the least. Valentine's imagination and keen eye for detail made the project a joy and a challenge to work on, and I learned a lot from the experience. The result was The Christmas Tree Elf.

Reviews have been overwhelmingly positive:

"The gorgeous illustrations of Santa, Mrs. Claus, their dog, Blazer, and the pointy-hatted elves will make older readers pore over the details, and young readers will be delighted by the story."  —Kirkus Reviews

We also won a Feathered Quill Book Award, winning Silver in the Best Children's Illustrated Book category. 

It was an honor to work on this project and see the positive response from readers and reviewers. Illustrating children's books is great fun, and I wouldn't hesitate to do another. 

Here are some of my favorite paintings from it: