For the opening of a holiday art show, Mary Norton of Norton's gallery invited me to paint for the entertainment of the visiting patrons.  Since it was a holiday event, I decided to paint a holiday subject. 

The shape and color of the poinsettia petals always capture my attention.  Concurrent with the opening, Mary hosted a wine-tasting event and graciously offered me a glass.  Forturnately I chose red and then had no other location to rest the glass, other than beside my subject.  The dark wine red provided a perfect counterpoint to the subject and contributed well to the festiveness of the piece.