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For the next 24 hours this painting is $50, after that it returns to the retail price of $90. 
If you would like to purchase this painting click here.

Legend has it that it was the red and green of the poinsettia plant that led to these colors becoming the colors of Christmas. Found in Southern Mexico the plants grew as shrubs. The Aztec used a part of the plant for a fabric dye and the sap was used for fevers and other ailments, according to Almanac.com. Today we enjoy having these colorful plants filling our homes with their lovely colors and holidays cheer.

I found this from a website called Almanac (https://www.almanac.com/poinsettia-christmas-story)
"According to Mexican lore, a young child, Pepita, did not have a gift for the baby Jesus at a Christmas Eve service. She was penniless, so all she could do was pick a bouquet of weeds to offer. The angels felt compassion for her plight. So, after Pepita set the flowers at the crèche of the Nativity on Christmas Eve, the angels transformed the weeds into beautiful red flowers. This is why red and green are the colors of Christmas today.

The Almanac.com website has more information about the man whom the poinsettia is named after, Joel Roberts Poinsett (1779–1851), an American statesman and the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico in 1828. They say that "poinsettias are the most popular Christmas plant and the best-selling potted plant in the United States and Canada, contributing over $250 million to the U.S. economy at the retail level. California remains the top U.S. poinsettia-producing state."

"For over 150 years, December 12 was considered National Poinsettia Day to honor the day of Poinsett’s death in 1851. In 2002, an Act of Congress made it official."

A big thank you tonight to my friend Rachel who suggested gouache for this painting, as I was struggling to pull this together. The photo here online does not do this painting justice.

I listened to "Pagliacci"  with Placido Domingo, by composer Ruggero Leoncavallo. You would recognize the aria he sings with all his heart and soul -Vesti la giubba. Ah, the tears of a clown. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6R0iaRcUqDI (start at about the 2:00 minute mark - This is Jonas Kauffman)

Thinking of you and sending out peace tonight to you all,

Kristi

For information on how to purchase a painting on this website go to this link here.
If you would like to read about the 50 Days of Painting, you can read this blog post. 
You can see all of the watercolors in this project here.