A Special Commission: Government House Christmas Card

It's been so busy lately, I almost forgot to share one of my most recent projects - illustrating Government House for their annual Christmas card! I've wanted to draw this spot for some time now, as my family always enjoys walking through the gardens here. It's fascinating to visit year-round and observe the blooming flowers, as well as to see what the gardeners are working on! When I was younger, my parents always said it was the prettiest gardens to walk through that didn’t have an admission fee. My favorite time of year is in the spring when all the peonies and cherry blossoms are in bloom!

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While illustrating the building, I discovered that this is the third version of Government House to stand here. The previous two were lost to fires, but interestingly, the porte cochère (the archway in the front of the building) survived the fire from the second iteration. The current building closely resembles the second one, which was constructed by architects Francis Rattenbury (known for building the Legislative Building downtown) and Samuel Maclure. I used multiple photos as references and spent some time stitching them together - it's rare to see the building without any cars in front of it! I made sure to include little Macduff @viceregalmacduff, the "charming and self-confident Vice-Regal Canine Consort to the Honourable Janet Austin @lgjanetaustin, Lieutenant Governor of B.C."