Christmas Past

The shades I used on this big tree (nearly 12″ high) always remind me of Christmases from the ’40s and ’50s. For which I was not yet alive. I’m full of “presentimentalisms” like that. On this tree, the ivory and deep green are quite opaque, while the red allows some grain detail to peek through every now and again, lest you forget it’s maple underneath. But those three colors on their own can be ambiguous. It’s really the gold accents that push this piece squarely in the Christmas category. Many coats of shellac provide a lovely gloss finish.