Mother's Day Art

Rebecca Rhodes Ladikos.  Circa 1987.  Copyright RRL.

The next few days we’ll be featuring some of our favorite Mother’s Day artists.  The first two artists that are featured belong to that heart- warming group that mothers everywhere recognize. Children. Many mothers have artwork from this talented group gracing their walls and refrigerators.  Today’s selections come from a collection known as “our children”.  In my mind, they were the finest little artists around in the late '80’s and early '90's.

Our daughter Rebecca, did the first piece above, an explosion of vibrant colors in an expressive, watercolor palette, around the age of eight. The color combinations and styling hint at a future talent now showcased at Velvet Lime Designs, as she splashes us with color selections and ideas for artwork that inspires.

  

Caleb Rhodes. Circa 1991.  Copyright CR

Our son, Caleb, did the second piece, an architectural study in pencil and watercolor, at around the age of eight also.  The linear projections, lines and “scaffolding” reveal a passion for building structures that is now seen in his projects at Green Friendly Homes. http://www.greenfriendlyhomes.com/

We love creative expression around here and we’re especially fond of the ones made by children.  We’d love to see yours and share them with our friends!  So, send us a copy of your favorite little artist’s work to: info @velvetlimedesigns.com

Look for originals from Marybeth’s girls tomorrow!

Celebrating “our little works of art”,

Laura

Pat the Bunny

Bunnies … we’re thinking about them all the time as we’ve worked on a recent design submission. Our finished product looks nothing like the source of our inspiration, pictured above, but the design roots are found in the slightly stained and matted fur of an old Pat the Bunny, owned by Madison, Marybeth’s 13 year old daughter.

This bunny is named “Big Bunny” and he was originally white when he first came into Madison’s life at age two. Other than having a slight fragrance issue (he’s been spared the indignity of a bath in a washing machine... they just wreak havoc on long ears), he’s a true Velveteen Rabbit story, for sure. “Big Bunny” was posing for Marybeth in the photo above, so she could get a general feel for sketching a large bunny design. Maggie, the reluctant bystander dog, was not impressed at all and refused to cooperate with any photo styling tips. Absolutely refused. We think she was wondering why SHE wasn’t picked as a drawing model.

Our final design was worth all the effort and numerous “propping -ups” that Big Bunny had to endure. Modeling can be so exhausting when you’re a gracefully aging bunny. We’re glad to say that Big Bunny had a good night’s sleep after our photo shoot … safe in the arms of Madison, who still sleeps with him every night.

So, to all Pat the Bunny fans, no matter what shade your bunny may be...give them a hug today.

The Velvet Lime Girls

Madison & Big Bunny:

Sunflower Smiles

Sunflowers make us smile. Every time. Their perky little faces bright with noonday sun just sunbathe you in happiness. When they first uncover their little faces, releasing their solar flare, the whole world lights up. They stand there in the rain, wind, heat and neglect … sunshine spears, unmoved by circumstances. Then, something amazing happens … they sink their roots down deep into their source and grow. They grow tall … I mean really tall. A towering presence in the flower garden, they become lighthouse beacons shooting down every melancholy thought with their shafts of light. They become bigger and bigger everyday … better and better.

We can be like them. An ancient writing of prose says, “our paths will be brighter and brighter” (Proverbs 4: 18). It means better and better. Like sunflowers, we can begin to tower over circumstances and challenges as we let our roots sink down deep into our source, our God. No matter how challenging a day may have been, we can pull from our source and become a shaft of towering sunshine in our own little world.

We hope our sunflowers make you smile today ... and shine. J

The Velvet Lime girls