Day 19 - #WorldWatercolorGroup Holiday Ornaments Glass Ornament pink blue gold watercolor painting
By Charlie

Holiday Ornaments

Written by Charlie O'Shields

With just days before Christmas, it seems like the day that would never arrive is suddenly coming up too fast! I’ve no idea if I’m prepared, but since I haven’t even begun wrapping gifts, I’m guessing that I’m not as prepared as I should be. Since I didn’t have much time, I tried an experiment today and skipped the fountain pen, chose four colors and went straight to watercolor. Lately, I’ve just been in that dreamy state this season brings out in me. Today actually started out poorly and just got worse from there, but luckily the evening has returned with the glistening lights and lovely ornaments to help me forget any stress. Well, not all of our ornaments would be classified as lovely. Some are downright silly. But each one is a little memory of some kind, nestled happily in the branches of our tree. As I look at them now, it feels as though I’m looking at a holiday scrapbook of sorts or in the case of glass ornaments like this one, gazing into a crystal ball. Each memento is a reminder of happy times and they always make me smile.

This is such a busy time of year and trying to get everything done in order to enjoy the holiday break properly can be a bit stressful. It’s been tough these days to sneak in a painting and a post, but I’m still managing to do it. I’m not sure if anyone has the time to read these posts this week actually, but I’ll keep blathering on like I always do, just in case someone might be listening. Back to the topic at hand, the thing I love about our ornaments are how wacky and random they seem to be. There’s no visual theme of any kind which creates a funky patchwork of colors and textures. It’s like someone wandered into an attic and found an old box of discarded bobbles and toys and literally threw them at the Christmas tree. The end result is a surprisingly lovely concoction which ends up having plenty of holiday charm.

Scanning through the memories hanging there, I realize what makes this tree so special is that it could only be sitting in our home. Nobody else would have thought to put those two particular ornaments together or well, even chosen that funny looking one currently hiding under the red glass ball. It’s our unique personality, come to life in a glittering spectacle that makes its appearance only once a year. Each year, though we think we already have too many things hanging there, we’ll manage to add a little something from our travels. A tiny addition that helps the story grow each and every year. And no matter how stressful the day was, I’m content. Lost in this quilt of love made up of our crazy little collection of holiday ornaments.

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About the Doodlewash

Sennelier L’Aquarelle: Opera Rose, Quinacridone Gold, Ultramarine Deep, and Cobalt Turquoise in a little red cloth hardbound l’aquarelle journal I found in a Paris shop.
  Day 19 - #WorldWatercolorGroup Holiday Ornaments Glass Ornament pink blue gold watercolor painting

Charlie O'Shields

Creator of Doodlewash, founder of World Watercolor Month (July), World Watercolor Group, and host of the Sketching Stuff Podcast. Sharing watercolor illustrations and stories while proudly featuring talented artists from all over the world!

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48 thoughts on “Holiday Ornaments”

  1. Lovely ornament, Charlie! 🙂 I like how you painted the Christmas magic in it! I love looking at the ornaments on our tree too and that we don’t have a theme except memories of Christmas’s past… the best kind in my opinion! 🙂

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  7. That’s a beautiful ornament. The reflection and shadows are perfect. You have described the perfect tree, my kind tree. It is a special part of Christmas to take out that box of ornaments each year, put them on the tree one at a time, recalling the memory and story of each one – priceless.

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  10. Beautiful painting! I read every word, just so you know. I always do. Our tree ornaments also tell the story of our lives but I do try to keep them cohesive with a gold theme because I’m an anal retentive control freak. I try to find appropriate ornaments on our travels or to mark special occasions so that our tree is autobiographical and, in being so, unique.

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  14. Of course we’re reading your blog this week, Charlie! Your Doodlewashes and wonderful words and musings are magic. And speaking of magic, this ornament is just that. I think this might be my favorite one you’ve done. I’m wondering, though, that if there’s no underlying Doodle, is it just a Wash? Or maybe it’s the spirit of the painting that makes it a Doodlewash, not the presence of ink. ( : No matter what, it’s fantastic.

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    1. Thanks so much, Ellie! 😃💕 hehe… nobody commented on yesterday’s post, so I wasn’t sure if anyone read it (could have just been a poor one though! that happens every so often!)! Lol For this one, I still did a light pencil sketch first before diving in with paint. I can’t help but push contrast though… so I found myself going back in with nearly waterless paint to dab in some outlines. 😊 hehe

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  15. No time to read your posts? What can you be thinking Charlie?! Wouldn’t miss your stream-of-consciousness thoughts of the day for anything, and this drawing is gorgeous. Don’t know why but somehow it’s the most Christmasey thing yet, and I love it!

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    1. Awww thanks so much my friend! 😃💕 Appreciate it! And yeah… I think it’s all the transparency and magicalness or something. I was going to go with red for the “dipped” part to make it seem more like Christmas colors, but my Opera Rose looked lonely, not having been used in awhile! hehe

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  16. Love how this one turned out! Christmas lights always bring the warmth and make the day better, and you’re so right – each tree is a patchwork and uniquely special to the people who put it up. It’s lovely to see the old and new decorations mingle!

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  19. Love this ornament – it looks like a bubble from one of those wands – pretty colors, translucence, and reflections, all the sweet endearment of memories of something wonderful. We don’t have a tree but I never care for the designer ones. I like the trees with homemade paper decos and bits of oddities picked up from the beach or the woods. Sounds like your tree is the best.

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