I've been looking into these twinkly eyes a fair bit this past couple of weeks & it's just dawned on me that I don't even know his name! That may seem strange, but it hasn't been important until now... I've been more concerned with the 'feel' of this man... his energy. I know him as 'Inghinn's Dad' and he recently crossed the Rainbow Bridge to the Summerlands. Ing wanted a canvas with his photo & a quote from 'Le Petit Prince' by Antoine de Saint Exupery in remembrance of her dad.
To begin with I just couldn't 'get' what I needed to do with this. Inghinn told me her Dad was a farmer who loved nature and she asked for dark green lettering. She would have let me change that if I wanted, but the photo background definitely lent itself to greens.
It took me a while just sitting with the photograph... connecting & feeling the energy. After a little while I had more ideas than enough. I printed the photo onto canvas and frayed the edges for a raggedy effect.... i didn't want any hard lines. The lettering too was a quite loose italic, done with a draftsman's ruling pen.
Wenn du bei Nacht den Himmel anschaust
Wird dir sein, als leuchten alle Sterne
Weil ich auf einem von ihnen wohne
Weil ich auf einem von ihnen lache
(Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
It's from The Little Prince, and roughly translated it means, when you look at the sky at night, it will be as if all the stars shine brightly, because on one of them I'm alive, because on on one them I am laughing.
the canvas size is 10 x 14 inches...
small enough to be personal & large enough to have a visual impact
Once i started, everything came together. By then I had an idea of how it should look.... the format, the colours... and a tree. For some reason I felt that a tree was important, and Ing confirmed that her Dad had trained as a tree surgeon in his youth. How I represented the tree was important too...
The bare branches with just a few leaves suggest the end of autumn, moving into winter... which is how I see the end of our life... more like a change of season, a time of withdrawal, returning to earth, preparing for the next stage of growth. The spirals suggest that continuity too, the cyclical nature of life and ancient connections...
It was one of those jobs that from start to finish felt special, and was an honour to do... I hope that it gives some comfort when you think of your dad, Ing xo
6 comments:
What a beautiful and meaningful piece.... I hoe some one wants to remember me so wonderfully when I go!
Thank you for this post, Suzi. I can't begin to tell you how much this work of art means to me and how grateful I am to you. I feel very lucky to have had this wonderful man as my Dad, and you've really done him justice. The canvas is hanging in my living room now and has already been much admired. Thank you again.
Much love and blessings to you,
Inghinn xx
PS My Dad's name is Burghard.
It's nice to put a name to the face... no doubt the space he leaves still feels huge, but sending love to help fill it. ((hugs))
well rose, you can't help but be missed, but i expect if i'm still here i'll be far too doddery to do you one by then... lol xo
S- such a beautiful way to have a commission finish - that I has a piece that encapsulates the essence and memory of her dad. B
it truly is a beautiful work of art. thanks for sharing its journey into creation. the tree and laughing on a star are equally magical.
Thanks ed. Been appreciating your writing, as always.
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