Meet 'Kristy'; she almost ended up on display at Ozmosis Cafe in Edge Hill. Lauren and I liked her on the white wall in the cafe, but all the customers and staff liked 'Jade with the Blue Hair'.
There were many dinners having breakfast while I carried the paintings in.
Which was good.
We managed to ask quite a few people their thoughts, and 'Jade with the Blue Hair' won hands down; apart from Lauren, I loving 'Kristy'.
One of the waiters loved 'Jade' so much that he said she was his ideal woman and asked if she was of someone I knew.
I said she was made up, which was followed by a disappointed face and this response,
"Oh, no, I must get inside your head to meet her'.
I smiled; that's such a sweet thing to say.
Someone else asked if she was me, and this also made me smile; I'm a bit of an old chook, and to be compared to one of my paintings is nice.
Kirsty is a different direction in my painting style. I usually render and leave less raw detail. But I had to stop for Kristy. She just worked as an abstract painting/portrait.
Lauren from Osmosis saw her on my Facebook page, 'Luisa Manea Art', and messaged me asking to drop her into the cafe to hang for International Women's day.
How nice is it when women are supporting women on such an important day?
Talking about women supporting women. My girlfriend Sandra (she is in her 50s) popped over on the weekend to drop in a baby's dress. While her mother (who has now passed away) was pregnant with her, one of her dear friends made this dress. So Sandra's mum could bring her home from the hospital in it.
The smocking and the embroidery are all done by hand. It needed minor repairs, which I could do, not by mending but by patching, as the material was too delicate.
This is one of my favourite things to do; clothes have history and important memories attached. Without this baby's dress, there would be no story, a story with so much love and care. While tiny, this dress would have taken many hours or weeks to make. This was a very selfless act of kindness.
Now Sandra's daughter has had a baby girl, and we all know where this dress will go to make more memories.
If you have something like this in your care, such a precious garment, please store it flat, not hanging; hanging can cause stress points over time, especially when we are talking about decades. Do not store in plastic of any kind, as this causes yellowing. Fold in many layers of white acid-free tissue, Office works has acid-free tissue in bulk, and some gift stores carry it. It has to state that it's acid-free. The tissue should be placed inside the garment and for every fold, you make, plus enclose the whole garment in tissue.
The idea is to ensure the garment is kept fluffy and not squashed down. The box for storage will also need to be acid-free; you can usually get these at the dry cleaners. If possible, the flatter the garment is stored, the better (meaning no folds at all).
Only hand wash these garments in lukewarm water, mild soap, and flat in a bathtub. Do not wring out. Place in a towel and roll out the excess water; place flat in the shade to dry.
We have never had so many clothes; we need our grandmothers to guide us in what to keep and throw.
Women are often the keepers and re-storers of history; we have an essential part in many aspects of life.
These two situations occurred close to International Women's day, making the day more meaningful.
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