What I love is the story behind why she chose to give her sister my mermaid art. She truly has the gift of story telling so I want to share the story in her words....
I have to tell you both a little childhood story that explains why this piece resonated with me. When My sister and I were little kids, we lived in a Spanish style house in Glendale. The bathroom had pink and black vintage tile from the 30s and it had a big tub separate from the shower stall. On the wall above the tub, my mother had hung two glazed, ceramic mermaids. Their tails were a beautiful iridescent, pearly blue. One was slightly larger (the older sister) with long, flowing hair and she held a hand mirror in one hand and primped her hair with the other while looking into the mirror. The other mermaid was smaller (the younger sister) with a perky pony tail and she held a large, pink iridescent pearl in her hands like a beach ball. She looked out towards anyone in the bathroom with a playful, sly look. My sister and I used to take our baths together and we would sit at the top of the back of the bathtub and slide down the "hill" into the water. We would do this over and over again, all the while pretending we were the mermaids on the wall. We must have been really tiny because we were able to slide down together, side by side, "swim" under water in that tub and, then, safely stop before we, in our imagination, were taken under by the "waterfall" coming from the faucet! When my parents sold that house and moved to the SF Valley, then to Simi, the mermaids got packed away. My mom can't remember what she did with them. Over the years, My sister periodically looked for them in boxes in the garage. They were important to her.So….you can see why this is such a sweet birthday present! The mermaids are now in their 50s, but we are still as close as those two little girls were. We still have our alter egos — My sister having a wicked sense of humor and still being cute and perky. Me, I guess I have to admit I'm a belly-button gazer, always analyzing myself, much more self-centered than my sister, just like that mermaid looking in her mirror. Ha ha ha!I think this gift will set the tone nicely for the 6 days I will spend with my sister this week!
I loved hearing this story. This is what my art is all about, childhood and imagination, pretending you are a mermaid with your sister, what a great memory. And they are still good friends. I love that my art can be relevant to both young girls imaginations as well as older girls and women, maybe finding and regaining a piece of their own childhood.
