Jill's Ex Voto Heart:
Final Design
A DEEPER MEANING: Noah suggested Dogwood flowers as the trees are prevalent here where we live. Additionally, Noah remembered that lilies & roses carried religious significance, but Dogwood flowers did too! Noah even recalled a vintage plaque that hung in his Grandmother's home for many decades. It was titled "A Legend Of The Dogwood Tree" & the poem read like this:
A Legend Of The Dogwood Tree
When Christ was on earth, the dogwood grew
To a towering size with a lovely hue.
Its branches were strong & interwoven
And for Christ's cross its timbers were chosen.
Being distressed at the use of this wood,
Christ made a promise which still holds good:
"Never again shall the dogwood grow
To be large enough for a tree, & so
Slender & twisted it shall always be
With cross-shaped blossoms for all to see.
The petals shall have bloodstains marked in brown
And in the blossom's center a thorny crown.
All who see it will think of me,
Nailed to a cross from the dogwood tree.
Protected & cherished this tree shall be
A reflection to all of my agony."
So my design was born! Dogwood flowers would be featured prominently on my pin, just as Dogwood trees were lovingly grown in Noah's Grandmother's garden...HOW COOL IS THAT?!?!
As I refined & focused my ideas, the final heart design started to emerge. I eagerly submitted my drawings to Richert & we agreed on about 3 we liked, but the moment I explained to him my notion of incorporating Dogwood Flowers, there was no question that was the heart concept we wanted to expand on.
Elaborating on that newest musing, I mocked up a larger pencil sketch with modifications. After checking in with Richert a second time, we both loved the direction the design was going in. Finally, I cleaned up my sketch with bold inked lines & borders. The final artwork actually visually resembled a coloring book illustration!
The next evolution was to experiment with colorways! Noah enlarged my final artwork & ran several black & white copies for me. This was the most exciting part as I saw my artwork come to LIFE!!! I used my new markers with wild abandon! Being brave & experimenting with daring combinations brought me right back to my childhood coloring books...Hummm, I wonder if another future project of mine will be a children's coloring book?
After Richert & I reviewed all of the options I created, we had such a difficult time choosing the winner, but after much deliberation & discussion, we chose the design you see before you! We are delighted with the result & we hope you agree!
Dream
Without Fear
Dogwood
Flowers
Fuchsia
Heart
Limited
Edition Of
100
