Each year I make a new baby collection for the Surtex show in May. I have been working on a new collection called Sprout that is designed to appeal to those who have a strong desire to nurture, as well as an appreciation for nature.
As I developed the images for Sprout I wanted to incorporate a few babies into the art, as though they are the new beginnings or sprouts being nurtured. Something kept pulling me back to an image from my own childhood of my younger cousins who were born and being raised on a farm. On occasion we would receive snapshots in the mail of the little tikes, three in a row, always in order from oldest to youngest, bundled up in their little hoodies, no matter the season. Because we lived too far away to see each other often, this became the image of my farm cousins that would last even into the years when we all grew much too old for those kiddie snapshots.
Well, we are all grown now and some of us have had tikes of our own. Sadly, John, the little tike in the white hoodie was taken from us by cancer as a young man. I remember him fondly with an impish smile and a disposition that was sweet to the core. John will never be forgotten, and for me he will always be the inspiration and joy that brings meaning to Sprout.
These are some of the illustrations for Sprout. The image of the little tike in the flower pot in the upper left corner is how I remember John, with that little mischievous smile! Below is the collection of patterns developed for Sprout.
When you remember your own family, young and old, never forget to nurture those gifts you are given and you will always be blessed.
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