This painting came about in a different way than usual— it wasn’t the girl that came first, it was the flowers. Recently I came upon the work of floral designer and blogger Amy Merrik and fell utterly, absolutely, and whole heartedly in love.
Amy’s photography, especially that of her New England home, is gorgeous, as is her floral work. Each image and arrangement is like a little wild treasure, and so very timeless. You just want to crawl through the photo and enter the serene world she captures. So very gorgeous.
With this ardor in mind, I set about to paint a little piece of a timeless girl holding a bountiful and slightly wild bouquet like Amy creates. And so Dasha came to be. I wanted her to look a bit windblown, as if she’d spent the afternoon gathering blossoms and came back to the house a little disheveled. I don’t do many icey blondes in my paintings, and decided on a completely monochromatic cool tone for the piece, so she sort of blends into her flower arrangement. I hope you like her!
I also added a bit of crackle to the finish piece because Lord knows, I can’t resist the crackle. I think it makes her look a little more timeless and love-worn, just as the images in Amy’s photography.
If you’re the least bit smitten with her, I listed her today in my etsy shop.
And to give a little insight into my inspiration, here are a few of Amy Merrik’s photos of her home and arrangements, maybe they’ll inspire you as well….
Sleightholm Folk Art 
Leave a comment