I wanted to share the back story and some close up photos of this big painting I worked on throughout 2025 and finally finished this past September. Right before the start of 2025, we moved into (and started renovating) an early 1900s house that has been in my family for a very long time. Over the course of the year I didn’t have much time for creating artwork, but I knew I wanted a large painting to hang in the kitchen and so I slowly worked away on this piece whenever I was fed up with working on the house.  

Throughout the home renovations (and many other life events) we had quite a few guests stay with us, and all of the hosting inspired me to paint a little inn. I was hoping to capture and have our house embody the hospitality of a cosy and comfortable abode, even in the chaos of our whirlwind year. Now when I look at this piece, it reminds me to slow down and create that sense of warmth and comfort which I longed for during that very chaotic time. 

While I was adding the finishing touches, I really wanted to paint a little river otter on the inn’s sign but it was a very small area and turned out looking more like a squiggle than an otter. But by that time I was just ready to have the piece up on the wall and decided to leave it as is. I might attempt to repaint it at some point in the future, but for now my little inn on the hill by the sea is complete.