heart ribbons

I had 3 commissions last month. One was for us, for our wedding invitations (I'll show you those next week), and the other two were for anniversaries for some lovely couples. Actually the 2 couples, while a world apart in location, actually seemed very similar. Both described themselves as spending lots of time in nature, kayaking on creeks and rivers, both girls love poetry.

This commission was actually for a very dear friend of mine. I've known here for years. She commissioned a picture to celebrate their anniversary. Her brief asked to represent that they were together as a couple for a year when they were just out of school. Went their separate ways for many years, and are now celebrating being back together as a couple for the past 6 years. She asked that it show their extensive travels, and their current lives settled together with their cat, and their hopes to have children soon.

Like a botanist, I represented all of the countries they have travelled to together with fauna. I asked her to send photo's of distinctive plants and trees from all of the places they've been. Their past was represented with what I called "heart ribbons", which later pops up as a combined ribbon in the stream in the future. The colour of it a mix of both of theirs. Their future family.

The colourful tree in the foreground a representation of the colurful, abundant future they are bound to have together.

I loved painting it. But for some reason, maybe it's because I've never had to look at her as parts before, I had such trouble capturing her. I got him, and I got close to her in the end, but it was still the hardest part.

Apparently when she gave it to her partner for their anniversary, he looked, then squeaked "But that's us! How did we get in there?". Hehehehe, I love that too!