Judge's Comments: This painting made me smile. It has so much happiness and festivity in it, that it should come with its own music playlist. There is a twinkling and playfulness that takes me somewhere nostalgic. The use of the white paper as snow collecting on the leaves and berries adds just enough frost to feel like it just started snowing and it’s sticking! It is easy for painters to go overboard with snow, sand, raindrops in a painting. This is not the case here. When I blur my eyes, the values are so well placed along with the transition from soft to hard edges. The soft orbs of color feel like holiday lights in the distance. There is so much spirit and excitement in this watercolor. It is just delightful!