Unique Mother’s Day Gifts
Mother’s Day, which this year falls on March 6th, is a wonderful time to celebrate those maternal souls who nourish us. Whether celebrating someone who is a mother in the traditional sense of the word or not, it is an opportunity to acknowledge those special women who radiate love without even trying and, moreover, have the ability to make us feel unconditionally accepted. Mother’s Day gives us an opportunity to say an extra special thank you. This thank you can take many forms, but I believe that a unique Mother’s Day gift of flowers is such a sweet and tender token.
Flowers for Mother’s Day
Flowers have always been a popular Mother’s Day gift; the carnation is the traditional flower of Mother’s Day the world over, but the chrysanthemum is also very popular, perhaps due to the appearance of ‘mum’ at the end of the word! I love the symbolism of the colour of each flower; pink carnations represent gratitude and love, while red carnations signify admiration and white carnations are traditional flowers to give or wear in remembrance of a mother who is no longer living. However my favourite flowers are always the wild ones..poppies, foxgloves, cornflowers, buttercups, daisies and campions create the most beautiful bouquet. This kaleidoscopic tumble for me is visual heaven. This is why I paint this subject over and over.
Colour is a language that I use to communicate joy, hope and tenderness. It communicates my soul’s song. The materials I use are very important and I am a perfectionist in this area. The oil paints I choose are carefully selected for their saturation of colour and pigments. Some tiny tubes are incredibly expensive but it is necessary that I have that precise shade. Transparent washes are applied and then later thicker impasto areas. I love the contrast of these dense areas next to the fragility of other areas.
Devon Flower Paintings
I am very happy to say that I have a new collection of Devon flower paintings that I have created especially in honour of of all those lovely mums out there! The collection is inspired by the American author, poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou’s quote about her own mother…
‘To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power. Or the climbing, falling colours of a rainbow.’
I love the way this sums up her experience of the wildness and beauty of her mother. The Devon flowerscapes I have created capture some of this sentiment and are full of sparkles; a spectrum of hues that are overflowing with fizzes of happiness…
My Own Mother
I was brought up on a farm and spent much of my early years in my mother’s homeland of Ireland. This very magical time was saturated with music, innocence and wild flower meadows, and still feeds into my practice today. My own mother is altogether a force to be reckoned with. Irish and full of easy humour, a lightness of spirit and an insurmountable energy, she is my angel in every way. Her constant and unwavering support has been a complete and utter rock throughout my life. She has natural wisdom, is profoundly creative and inherently kind. I am deeply blessed to have her in my life. In addition to all these wonderful qualities my mum was, and still is, a very keen and accomplished gardener. In summertime her country garden is a sight to behold. She plants just like I paint.
My Children
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you.
And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
Khalil Gibran
I remember a long time ago someone saying to me that the best gift you can give your children is both roots and wings. This still resonates with me today. I have four children who constantly teach me about motherhood. My daughter Poppy has recently graduated from Wimbledon College of Art and is an exquisite fine artist. She is a manifestation of all that I have done right in my life. My beautiful godson Charly is a bright, wise soul who is woven into the fabric of my heart…he will graduate from Goldsmiths later this year. I also have two gorgeous stepsons Romek (who DJs around the world and creates his own music) and finally the youngest of our gang, Rio, who has recently become a teenager and is undoubtedly rapidly becoming one of the cleverest people I know. These children are pure joy.
To view my non-wilting unique Mother’s Day gifts (!) you can find my original paintings printed canvasses, prints and cards at yvonnecoomber.com
*Last day for orders to ensure that your unique mother’s day gift arrives in time for Mother’s day is 2nd March*
Happy Mothers Day!
With love and blessings,
Yvonne xxx