"Spring Phoenix" 2013, 30x30 cm
The Brief
The client wanted a daytime painting, that was bright and sunny with warm, summery colours dominant. As she wrote, "I'd like it to be cheery for those long stretches (in the Pacific Northwest) when we don't see the sun." As I, too, long for winter's short, dark, wet days to end I suggested a phoenix as an animal spirit for this painting, adding in a host of butterlies as counterpoint to my usual stars. Only after the painting was finished did I learn that the particular shade of turquoise used for the sky is the her daughter's favourite colour. Knowing how my daughter will 'borrow' my best things, I hope there has been good sharing.