My dear friend, Susan, has been redecorating her home, a room at a time. It's such an honor when a friend loves your artwork enough to invest in more than one piece for her home. While she already owned the Sepia Rose for her master bedroom, Susan commissioned me to do a custom piece to coordinate with her family room. Her drapery fabric is the Simone pattern from Pottery Barn:
The challenge was to choose a subject that matches her personality, the feel of her home, and the colors represented in this fabric. Susan loves sunflowers for their bold, cheery, and warm presence. I started out with red sunflowers, but didn't like how it would look against a beige wall, and adjacent to a robin's egg blue wall in the kitchen. Though these instagram pics don't show it, the positioning of these red sunflowers just didn't feel quite right...
...so I painted over them. :( You may remember that I've described my painting process before. Painting over is not always wasteful, but rather an exquisite way to add unexpected layers of translucent color and texture.
Life is the same way, friends. Your life is layers upon layers of experiences, trials, suffering, and joys that add up to a complex canvas of woven stories. It wouldn't be nearly so beautiful without them!
In the end, I painted a vase full of yellow sunflowers. Unfortunately, these photos don't do the color variations justice. I was really excited that I truly captured the colors represented in the fabric swatch...how I wish you could see it in person! The 3' x 4' painting turned out so warm and inviting...I couldn't be more pleased, or honored to be a focal point in my friend's home.
If you are interested in commissioning a custom painting, please don't hesitate to contact me for more info!
Have a blessed day, friends!
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