MMM: What Was She Thinking?

"A Love Like Ours"

16 ' Round Canvas

I planned to do a canvas for my girlfriend's birthday (she requested something with a picture of her girls) so I asked her to email me some of her favorite shots. When I saw this one - with her eldest daughter in awe of their new arrival - I knew that I also had my piece for Mixed Media Monday's theme; what was she thinking. The expression of love and tenderness for her new baby sister was so powerful, that I was inspired to find a love poem to accompany it. The poem I found, A Love Like Ours, ended up serving as both the title and inspiration for the piece above.

Detail of acrylic base and pencil drawing

Several layers of watered-down paint are added

Detail of fabric frame - cut and staggered for interest

The painting was made using acrylic, vintage music sheets and wallpaper (which were then brushed over with watered-down paint in order to blend them into their surroundings), charcoal pencil (for both definition of the shapes and as a way to shade the edges), a ton of matte gel medium (to both adhere the collage elements and as a final wash), the tiniest bit of gold glitter (dusted on top of the gel medium before it dried to give the piece movement), a Swarovski crystal (at the ear) and a bit of fabric used as a frame. The poem is layered on top of the "awning" and reads:

A LOVE LIKE OURS

Within my heart their lies untouched / A love that's true and pure. / Someday I will reveal to you / And then you'll know for sure / That a love like ours was meant to be / Cultured in true romance / It will flourish well as you soon can tell / If you'll only take the chance. / Please lend me your heart and trust me / And let me call you my own. / For as long as our heart is growing / We will never be alone. -- Marvin W. Mabbit

Thank you for looking! To see more pieces on the theme, "What was he/she thinking", please check out all the talent on www.MixedMediaMonday.wordpress.com. xo