"The Little Match Girl" Plaque

"The Little Match Girl" is an illustration for my Fairytale Oracle deck (with author Lucy Cavendish) due out in 2015.  A classic tale by Hans Christian Andersen, one of the saddest children's stories of all time, if you ask me!  This poor little thing is on her last match, shortly to die from the cold as the snow swirls around her.  There is a message of hope here however, as she reunites with her beloved grandmother in heaven.  This is an acrylic painting, I had a wonderful time with the many layers of paint - glazing it with a lot of water to create the beautiful lighting in this piece.