The image I chose to use for my first piece is a picture of my Gran when she was young, she's 87 now and I've included a photograph of her I took a couple of years ago. Any of you that know me well will know just how special this lady is to me. She was a huge presence in my childhood, she cooked my lunch every day from school, and babysat us every Saturday night until we were old enough to go out, by then my friends and I would go round hers for a few drinks and a sing-song ~ she is better known as Gran to many people in Cork, than as Maureen or Mrs Bruton ;-)
Today she is still one of my best friends and she has always encouraged me to be who I want to be, and still praises my artwork like she did when I was a little girl, and I guess her approval is more important to me than any would be art critic. I took the finished work down to Cork to show her before I blogged it, and she loved it, and poured over all the little details.
The finished work evolved over many months, I really don't rush things ;-) But it was worth the time and effort. I love this piece, and as I am usually my own worst critic, this makes it pretty special for me. My craft studio is undergoing some serious refitting at the moment, and this piece is ear marked for pride of place once the work is complete.
