Voiladesign Blog
Follow my blog, where I write and capture the adventures of the seasons, nature and my explorations into various creative projects.
LES COEURS SAIGNANT- BLOOMS OF THE BLEEDING HEARTS
I created this digital image for my mother and for my 2 children Alexandra and Charles. I used my iPad Air2 to make this work. While creating this image it helped me understand a few more things about myself, about you, mother and about the fragility of life.
WISHING YOU A WONDERFUL MOTHER’S DAY!
Here is a little story for whoever is curious and wants to know a little about my mother Claire and about the meaning of my artwork.
Click on all pictures to enlarge.
My beautiful mother Claire is 93 yrs old and has Alzheimers for the last 5-6 years. She does not know it or seems to not be aware of it and we never talk about it..never! As a family we try to understand the progressive nature of the desease but it’s not easy and we were told to not mention anything about it to her so she could live peacefully.
Her memory is immense but also many parts of the puzzle are missing about her life. I try to accept and to go with the flow when talking with her on the phone as sometimes in our conversation she will laugh when becoming aware of repeating herself or not really remembering a few details about an event or what she did in the morning. I laugh too and love her even more! We talk about nothing and everything. I am grateful that until now she has not failed to remember about me and about the loved ones in our whole family but also the ones that are very close to me here such as my children Alexandra and Charles and my life partner Glenn.
She still likes to talk about some of the greatest times we had together when she took holidays every year to visit us just about 2,475 km away from her home in Québec. We remember or at least she tries as it was a special treat to be together as a family! She would come for 3 to 4 weeks at a time… travelling by herself to see us and to have some relaxing time away from her life back at home. She didn’t have it easy with my father…not at all. With my children we loved to pamper her and give her the love that she deserved.
Her time with us in our home during her vacations brought her alot of joy and peaceful moments in her heart. She loved the surroundings of our Victorian home, to go for nice walks in the park and at the lake with Charles and Alex and appreciated the garden around my studio where creativity was encouraged. She was artistic and enjoyed painting with different media and loving to share with us this little pleasure in life. Her time with my children was special and today she never misses about asking how both Charles and Alex are doing with their life, their love stories and work. Happiness is everything for her!
Today, saddly more than often many memories are fading…day by day. At time I find it difficult but I have to accept…I really do and to adapt to the changes. My deepest desire is to give her strength and the desire to continue her life as happy and comfortably as possible without the physical and emotional pain that her age and this desease bring everyday. Too much pain she would tell me before hanging up the phone after a short conversation. It’s not easy and I always try to talk about the good things we have in life and the wonderful memories from the past.
Thank you again mother. You have been there often for me through joy and tears. You have been like a solid beautiful tree giving us hope and energy. I miss you dearly and continue to cherish everything that we still have today despite our new challenges in life and the distance that separates us. You are precious, so fragile and so beautiful like some of the flowers in this image created for you. I love your smile. You are in my heart every second of my days.
The meaning of this image “Les Coeurs Saignant – Blooms of the Bleeding Hearts” This creation is really special to my soul. It represents some aspects of life relating to my mother Claire. In this image we see my mother in her early twenties wearing a pearl necklace that her grandfather (my great-grandfather) gave her at a young age as she told me once. The written section is part of a postcard that my grandfather Charles (her father) wrote in 1914 before getting married to his lovely wife Marie-Louise while they were separated because of his work or studies in Montreal. My mother often expressed to me about her love and attachment particularly for her father Charles who was a good, honest, very caring and devoted family man.
I thought it would be nice to include a little something about her father’s message of love expressed to Marie-Louise through one of the many cards that he used to send her in the early years of their relationship (1914). They were in love and in this particular postcard that I used for this image, Charles is showing his deep commitment and affection for her. Here I would like to share something that he is saying: ” I feel at peace in my heart to think about you while the orchestra is playing…this makes me think of you when we were together going for a walk at night. If only you were with me now it would be the nicest day. Aurevoir chère amie. Celui qui vous aime de tout son coeur. I love you from all my heart! Les amitiés à tous. Bons gros baisers. Charles.”
Bleeding Hearts are now growing under the window of my art gallery. Love love love them!
The flowers in my work (above) are very symbolic to me. The Peony flowers adorned the garden of my grandmother Marie-Louise where we used to enjoy sitting on her swing while visiting during the Summer days. Her flowers were spectacular and inspiring. The Bleeding Hearts called in French les Coeurs Saignant were always blooming in profusion in Spring just below my bedroom window where I grew up in Québec. My mother and I were fascinated by their heart shapes. In my eyes those flowers were the nicest and the most romantic flowers that existed with their unique and curly petals, so soft and their amazing curvy shapes covered by pastel pink and fuchsia colours surrounded by lacy foliage. So poetic and pretty!
The bottom part of Blooms of the Bleeding Hearts represents a delicate crochet work that Claire created as a young girl. I wanted to express the beauty that she created with her hands but also to give in this image a feeling of water with a floating water lily or a sacred blooming lotus in the foreground. This special crochet piece was offered to me last year when my mother was moving in a new place to receive more care. It is now in my studio with a little angel sculpture and photographs of her and of my 2 lovely children that are placed gently on my shelf. I feel that we are all looking out for each other and that by having each of them closer to me then I can protect them a little more by sending love and hugs while am working in my creative space! This really brings me joy and a sense of serenity.
Finally, to complete this composition I decided to incorporate a recent photo of me where I am sitting in a Zen garden. In the background there is water, a little bridge and beautiful lotus with a variety of plants growing around which you cannot really see here but I know they are there. The sound of nature and the birds flying over are so calming and spiritual! I feel at peace just like my grandfather Charles expressed in his message of love but I know that my heart never stop thinking about my 2 children that I often miss because of the distance that separates us. I think a lot about my mother who always been there for me as a mom and a good friend. I could always count on her and tell her everything about me. Now it is different. I am learning to let go and to appreciate even more as the days pass. Life is precious!
I am so grateful! You are in my heart every second of my days. This little work helped me understand as your daughter and as a mother…a few more things that were really deep inside. Now it helps me to see more about the beauty in life. Love to you and to my children. x0x
Alexandra (3yrs old) holding her little brother Charles (19 days old) –
My younger brother Guy with mom 93 yrs old – 2016.
This special image ” Les Coeurs Saignant” is for you Claire while thinking about Mother’s Day this weekend. You called me with tears of joy when you received this photograph in the mail today. You thanked me a thousand times from the buttom of your heart. Don’t thank me mother I whispered a few times as she kept sharing her happiness. Please accept my gratitude and my love that are as big as the sky. You “give” me so much. Look at those 2 angels Alexandra and Charles. x0x
2020 © Voila Design.
