Ta Dah!

A couple of years ago, our family decided it was time for the adults to draw names for Christmas gift giving and this year I drew my daughter Amy's name. Lucky me! And what did she want? She asked that I "make a piece of art" for her. I was feeling some pressure to make the "perfect" gift, one that she would love, also something worthy of hanging in an art gallery (yeah, right), all of which was causing me to freeze up and become royally creatively blocked. As time was closing in and Christmas was looming large, I decided to follow my own advice to "make something I know." Amy loved my Itty Bitty Pretties, but I didn't want to work that small for her gift, so I went to the Art Department (Salem's local art supply store) and purchased a set of nine canvases, each canvas four inches by four inches. I proceeded to choose background papers in a palette that she loved: turquoise and crimson. I scrounged around and found eight family photos I wanted to use: four of them of her sons, Jackson and Emmett, one current and one when they were about six months old; one each of when Amy and her husband Mike were toddlers; a fun one of when they were dating, finally, a family photo that was taken at Thanksgiving. I joined the long line at Kinko's to make black and white copies of the photos. I cut out the images I had selected, glued them to the chosen background, painted around the edges of the canvas, then embellished each one to my heart's content. My Hubby went with me to Lowe's to find a piece of wood to mount the canvasses on. When we asked if they had any scrap lumber, the guys pointed to the floor: they had one lone piece of wood and it was just the size we needed, 13 x 13! I took the wood home, applied gesso, then painted it with two of my favorite Golden colors: Quinacridone/Nickel Azo Gold and Quinacridone Crimson. Luscious! My Hubby helped me glue the little canvasses on the board and it was completed in time to dry overnight. On Christmas Eve Amy opened her gift and loved it! Merry Christmas, Amy!