Treasure

This is a large cluster of jewelry along with other items including an old photo of me as a baby. I whimsically added it to my still life setup and loved the idea of painting a tiny girl surrounded by objects she would eventually own, including an antique dragon figurine. I like how the orange-red beads resemble fire shooting from its mouth. Some of the stories behind the jewelry are meaningful, and some are not. For example, one morning I was on my way to school when I noticed the beginnings of a wardrobe malfunction and needed something to pin myself together. I popped into a drugstore and bought the above purple pin for $4.95. It may have been cheap, but it took an entire day to complete. I adore Venice and was happy to find the matchbox at a local antique store. It shows the Ca' d'Oro ("Golden House") and was painted in a jazzy style that I had fun mimicking. The lettering and skinny black lines made me so nervous that I kissed my right hand after I finished them.