this is my newest painting, which was commissioned by my friends for E's nursery. i loved the idea that they had- they bought four matching ready-to-hang canvases, and mailed them out to four of their artist friends. each one of us received a package with the blank canvas and some scraps of fabric that they used around the nursery. the fabric scraps were black, hot pink, greens, and blues. i also loved how they didn't know if they were having a boy or a girl, but decorated the nursery however they felt like, using bright pops of color.each artist also got an animal to base the painting around. i had already elbowed my way into getting a dove, mainly because i'm elbow-deep in dove imagery as i design my new tattoo. historically, the dove symbolizes innocence, gentleness, faith, and peace. i love the idea of the dove's presence in a baby's nursery, a subtle reminder of everything that is childhood.
i decided to use the actual fabric pieces in my work, and cut them into heart shapes, coming out of the dove's mouth. the dove itself is cut from a piece of vintage wrapping paper featuring ice cream cones for a bit of whimsy.
i'm really happy with way it came out, and was even happier when i was able to go to the hospital the day after E was born and gift it to the mamas. i wrapped the finished painting in a little mini quilt/changing pad that i sewed one of my baby blankets from when i was little inside as the lining.
spring is a busy busy time, and i love every minute of it. you should see my craft space right now- total trainwreck goodness!
and just as an FYI, my paintings and photographs are going to be hanging in a local coffee shop for the month of may. i'm also going to be having an "opening," so stay tuned for details! i'd love to see some of you over some good coffee.
xx
