A young reindeer fills the frame, its head and upright ears centered and its gaze meeting the viewer directly. Small velvet-covered antler buds, big soft dark eyes and a rounded, glossy bright-red nose give the face a tender, storybook charm.

The fur is painted impressionistically in slate gray, caramel tan and cream with deep umber accents, in loose palette-knife and brush impasto over a visible canvas weave. Soft, diffused light shades gently under the ears and along the jaw.