Description
Wishing Tree Painting by P. Buckley Moss
Introduction
Wishing Tree Painting by P. Buckley Moss is a one-of-a-kind, artist hand-signed original watercolor from 2010 that brings together childhood wonder, Christmas imagery, and the playful personalities of cats.
A young girl dressed in soft rose-pink sits beside an evergreen tree, gazing upward with her hands lifted in a gesture of curiosity and delight. Rather than traditional ornaments, the tree is decorated with whimsical black cats. Their slender bodies, curling tails, and pointed ears weave through the branches, transforming a familiar Christmas symbol into an imaginative gathering of feline companions.
The painting’s gentle colors and generous white background create an atmosphere of innocence and discovery. Yet the composition also has a lively sense of humor: what first appears to be a decorated Christmas tree becomes something wonderfully unexpected upon closer inspection.
This original watercolor was used to create the limited edition print Wishing Tree, issued in an edition of 250 numbered prints and 25 Artist’s Proofs, according to the supplied gallery information.
Hand-signed by P. Buckley Moss, the painting offers collectors the opportunity to own the original artwork associated with that published edition.
Story Behind the Artwork
The title Wishing Tree introduces an element of imagination to an otherwise familiar holiday scene.
The young girl’s upward gaze and open hands suggest a moment of anticipation. The cats, meanwhile, appear to have made themselves at home among the evergreen branches, creating an unusual meeting of childhood curiosity, animal companionship, and Christmas tradition.
The artwork does not identify a particular child, household, or historical event. Its story is conveyed through the interaction of its visible subjects rather than through a documented narrative.
The gallery’s information establishes an important part of the painting’s production history: the original watercolor served as the artwork for a limited edition print of the same name.
This relationship between the original and its published edition provides meaningful context for collectors interested in the development of Moss’s original paintings into collectible prints.
Symbols & Meaning
The evergreen tree is widely associated with Christmas, continuity, and seasonal celebration. Its familiar triangular shape gives the composition an immediate holiday identity.
Cats bring a different set of associations. Often connected with curiosity, independence, companionship, and playfulness, they introduce humor and movement into the traditional Christmas-tree image.
The child provides the emotional center. Her lifted hands and attentive expression may suggest wonder, anticipation, or the delight of discovering something unexpected.
Together, these elements allow Wishing Tree Painting to evoke the imaginative possibilities of childhood and the affectionate unpredictability of living with animals.
These interpretations arise from the visible imagery and title. No documented artist statement has been supplied establishing that Moss intended the tree, cats, or child to represent a particular spiritual message or personal memory.
Artistic Details
The composition is built around a striking contrast between the young girl’s rounded figure and the tall, tapering form of the evergreen.
Moss uses soft, textured green watercolor washes to suggest the tree’s foliage. Rather than outlining every branch with botanical precision, the painted greens establish a light, irregular silhouette that feels open and expressive.
Against this softness, the cats appear as sharply defined black shapes. Their elongated bodies and curling tails form an intricate network of lines that winds through the tree. Some appear perched along the branches, while another sits prominently near the trunk.
The girl’s rose-colored dress introduces warmth to the composition. Her softly modeled face, curly gray hair, and outstretched hands give her a distinct personality without overwhelming the playful tree.
A small area of green-gray wash grounds the figures at the bottom of the painting, while the expansive white background keeps attention on the central encounter.
The artist’s signature and 2010 date appear along the lower edge, beginning at the left and extending toward the center.
Featured Master Collections
Primary Master Collection: Childhood & Storytelling
The seated child and the painting’s imaginative subject make this its strongest storytelling classification. Her expressive pose encourages viewers to imagine what she sees, thinks, or wishes as she looks toward the unusual tree.
Supporting Master Collection: Christmas Traditions
The evergreen provides an unmistakable Christmas connection. The artwork offers an unconventional interpretation of holiday decorating, making it appropriate for seasonal collector features and Christmas-themed displays.
Supporting Master Collection: Animals & Companions
The numerous cats are essential to the painting’s identity. Their distinctive silhouettes connect the work with Moss’s broader animal subjects and make it particularly appealing to collectors of feline imagery.
These assignments are Master Collection classifications. The gallery’s existing One Girl, Cat, Christmas, and Original Painting categories can remain as separate WordPress product categories.
Decorating Ideas
With an image size of 9-1/16 × 8-1/8 inches, Wishing Tree Painting has an intimate scale and a strong vertical composition.
Its gentle pink, green, black, and white palette makes it suitable for traditional, cottage, and softly layered interiors.
Consider displaying it in a family room, reading area, or a small gallery wall devoted to original Moss watercolors. During the Christmas season, it could become the focal point of a carefully arranged holiday art display.
Because this is an original watercolor on paper, archival-quality matting, UV-protective glazing, and placement away from direct sunlight are appropriate preservation considerations.
Gift Ideas
Wishing Tree Painting combines several subjects that may hold personal meaning for a collector: childhood, Christmas, cats, and original art.
It may be considered for a significant Christmas gift, a special birthday for a cat lover, or a milestone occasion for someone building a collection of original P. Buckley Moss paintings.
Its connection to the published Wishing Tree limited edition may be especially interesting to someone who already owns the print and wishes to explore the original artwork behind it.
About the Original Painting
Wishing Tree Painting is an original watercolor, not a numbered print.
Artist: P. Buckley Moss Year: 2010 Medium: Original Watercolor Artwork Size: 9-1/16 × 8-1/8 inches Orientation: Vertical Signature: Hand-signed “P. Buckley Moss 2010” along the lower edge Original Artwork: One-of-a-kind watercolor used to create the Wishing Tree limited edition print Numbered Print Edition: 250 Artist’s Proofs: 25 Certificate of Authenticity: Included Current Gallery Price: Not supplied
The edition figures refer to reproductions created from this painting, not to an edition of the original watercolor itself.
The original and the numbered prints are distinct works, even though they share the same composition.
🎨 Fun Fact:
The custom of decorating evergreen trees has a history that reaches well beyond the modern American Christmas. Decorated indoor Christmas trees became established in German-speaking parts of Europe before spreading more widely during the nineteenth century. Early decorations included edible items such as apples, nuts, and sweets, along with paper ornaments and candles. The familiar glass ornaments associated with many modern Christmas trees developed into an important craft tradition in German glassmaking communities. This broader history of imaginative tree decorating provides an interesting cultural backdrop for the unconventional ornaments in Wishing Tree Painting, without suggesting that Moss based the painting on a particular historical custom.
🖼️ Collector’s Insight:
What distinguishes Wishing Tree Painting is its inventive transformation of a traditional Christmas tree into a gathering of black cats. The softly painted green foliage contrasts with the cats’ crisp, curling silhouettes, while the small girl in pink introduces a human response of curiosity and wonder. This balance of gentle watercolor passages and bold graphic lines gives the composition both delicacy and humor. For collectors of original Moss artwork, the painting also has a documented relationship to a published limited edition of 250 numbered prints and 25 Artist’s Proofs. That connection allows the original to be appreciated both as an individual watercolor and as the source composition for a known Moss print. Its strongest collector interest lies in this combination of original artwork, childhood storytelling, Christmas imagery, and feline subjects—not in unsupported claims of rarity, market demand, or future appreciation.
Why Buy from Canada Goose Gallery
Canada Goose Gallery provides collectors with information about original P. Buckley Moss artwork, published editions, and authenticity documentation.
This hand-signed original watercolor includes a Certificate of Authenticity and has a documented connection, according to the gallery’s supplied information, to the Wishing Tree limited edition print.
Collectors can also explore the gallery’s broader selection of original artwork and related Moss subjects, allowing them to compare paintings, themes, and collecting opportunities.
Continue Exploring
Collectors interested in the playful cat imagery of Wishing Tree Painting may enjoy Six Cats Painting, another hand-signed original watercolor from 2010 featuring imaginative black-cat silhouettes. Continue considering related works:
- Church Cat Painting
- Kaleidoscope Christmas Painting
- Meow 1 Painting
- Ninee Tricksters Painting
- Tree of Cats 2 Painting
- Tree of Nine Lives Painting
- Six Cats Painting
- Amish Girl Black Cat Painting
- Boy on Carousel Painting
- Boy With Buckets Painting
- Girl In Turquoise Dress Painting
- Girl On Stone Wall Painting
- Girl With Apple Baskets Painting
- Girl With Baskets Painting
- Girl With Wheat Painting
- Little Marguerite Painting
- Wishing Tree Limited Edition Print
Explore the P. Buckley Moss Original Paintings Collection or the P. Buckley Moss Cat Collection for additional artwork.
Suggested Categories & Subjects:
- P. Buckley Moss Christmas Subject
- P. Buckley Moss One Girl Subject
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