New work, "Girl and the Tree"

I bought this blank 6" x 6" canvas to wrap an embroidered work around, and it ended up being a little too big.  I prefer working on panels, so this piece sat in the art cupboard for many months.

Patterns and colors are always dancing around in my head, and one day this week an image of a bright, colorful tree just came to me.  I grabbed the little blank canvas, sketched a basic outline, and started painting.

I kept the background white, so that the focus was on the tree.  After I finished painting all the tiny squares,  the tree looked a little lonely to me.  So, I sketched a little girl with a balloon.

Girl and the Tree reminds me of one of my favorite children's books, The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.  In my piece, however, the child is the giver, and the tree is the recipient.

Oh, by the way, I'm running an art giveaway; all you have to do is leave me a comment here.  Don't be shy, you could win!