What happens when you try to surprise your loved one with the same gift? Nicklas Backstrom and fiancée Liza experienced this first-world problem when they both contacted Taylor Kampa Olson, painter of the (Capitals) stars, for a family portrait.
Nicklas wanted a family portrait for Liza as a Christmas gift. Liza wanted a family portrait for Nicklas as a late birthday present (Nicky’s birthday is November 23).
Thankfully, the situation turned out about as cute as it possibly could.
“It was such a treat to get to paint this family portrait for Nick Backstrom and his fiancée Liza,” Taylor Kampa Olson said. “There’s a really fun story behind this painting: the short version is that both Nick and Liza contacted me separately trying to surprise each other with a painting of their family, but since Liza wanted it as a late birthday gift for Nick, and Nick wanted it as a Christmas gift for her, Liza got to be the one to give the surprise.
“When I delivered Liza’s gift, Nick answered the door and was so incredibly nice even though he probably thought I was ruining his Christmas surprise by showing up to deliver unannounced/early. When Liza came to the door, Nick found out that the painting was FOR him and not FROM him, and we all had a good laugh. This is a problem I’ve dreamed of having and definitely something I’ll always remember.”
Here’s a closer look at the painting.
The portrait is based off a photo taken during Nicklas Backstrom’s Stanley Cup day while the family took a boat ride on the Baltic Sea.
Photo: @Capitals
Over the last few months, Kampa has been overloaded with requests for Capitals paintings since going viral with her time-lapse videos on Instagram.
Kampa did two portraits for Ted Leonsis, where Alex Ovechkin looks like the second Leonsis son.
She re-created the Capitals’ team photo after winning the Stanley Cup as an auction item for Caps Casino Night.
One of Kampa’s latest paintings, a portrait of Braden Holtby, was a giveaway at a recent game.
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