There is something about gorillas and their chimpanzee cousins that have always held a special fascination for me. In a weekend conversation about the first teddy bears or stuffed animals we could remember, mine was a stuffed chimpanzee with a rubber face. It had a rubber banana you could put in its mouth. I have no idea what happened to it, but it stands out above all the rest.
An unforgettable primate encounter happened years later when Rick and I took Laura to the zoo. She was in a stroller and was wearing a pink fuzzy snow suit. I think she was just over a year old. When I stopped her stroller in front of the gorilla compound, a mother holding a baby (much like the one in this piece) stared at us for a long time and then brought her baby over to show it to me. My husband and I couldn’t believe it.
So I fell in love with this piece that Patti Armstrong created. It was the winner in the Wide Cut category at last weekend’s OHCG Annual. I, like others, was drawn to the tenderness captured in this piece.
Yesterday, on Mothers’ Day, my family gave me a new charm for my Pandora bracelet, which is called “Gorilla Family”. I love it, and it was uncanny that I should receive it a week after seeing this rug in the show. So I knew what today’s post would be about - gorillas and babies and tenderness.
My babies are now 25 and nearly 22, and on days like yesterday they can still melt my heart as easily as they did when I first held them. I’m sure over the years there have been lots of ways that I looked at them that weren’t quite so tender, but there is no argument that they are my very best masterpieces. And on Mothers’ Day, all those not-so-tender memories fall away.
Hope you all had a great one, with your mom or your kids - gorillas included.
4 comments:
Hi Wendie! Love the Gorilla rug shown and wasn't it great to get a charm featuring gorillas!!! : )
I'm glad you enjoyed your Mother's Day!
Because we are far away from family, Husband and I go out for a Mother's Day brunch here...but in April I had a lovely trip to the US West Coast where I saw all of my children and was there when my first great-grandchild, Gabriel, was born. (Of course, he's adorable!!!) : )
So my "Mother's Day" came early!!
Now that I'm back and continuing on the Bradley Primitive rug, I'm visiting my Blogging friends to see what they are up to!!!!! Hope all is well with you and family and I trust you are having a beautiful Spring!
Hugs, Sunnie : )
Hi Wendie, A friend of mine told me that you had a photo of my rug "For They Love Their Children Too" on your blog...wow, what a thrill to see that you enjoyed it enough to post a photo! The original photo of the chimpanzee mother and baby is by Michael Neugebauer (reproduced with his permission) and is from the book "Chimpanzees That I Love Saving Their World and Ours" by Jane Goodall. Jane Goodall is kind of a "hero" in our family...although I have not met her one of my daughters has and my cousins have done some volunteer work with rescued chimps...the mother named "Fannie" gazes down at her baby named "Fax"...I was very moved by this photo and was so excited when Mr. Neugebauer granted me permission to use it. I am currently working on a whole series of rugs (for a book) about "Mother's Daughters and Women that I Admire"...and I felt the need to include an animal mother and baby...this photo definitely illustrates to me that animals can have the same emotions as we do when looking at their babies..."melt their(our) hearts" as you said about your own children...I too like what you said about how working daily gets in the way of hooking hahaha...I feel that way too...someday...someday there will be more time for hooking...for I Love to hook also..thank you so much for posting the photo of my rug...hook happily...Patti (:
Patti - I'm so pleased to see your comment on my blog. I guess I should have checked first to make sure you were o.k. with having your work shown here. But I really didn't know how to find you. Thank you for your positive response. I can hardly wait to see more in your series, which I guess I just have to be patient to do.
Thanks again. Wendie
Hi Wendie thanks for the response...and I was happy to see that you enjoyed my piece...as I have said I have been working on my "Mothers and Daughters" series for quite a while now....since 2005 actually...it all began with the "Memories Of My Mother" exhibit in Southampton...I hooked my mother's portrait and I was off and running you know? I have completed 10 rugs in the series so far...It has been satisfying and also at times emotional for me as these women are so important to me...because they are of course my mother, daughters, grandmothers etc..the next one in the series is a grown up portrait of my oldest daughter, I have already hooked her portrait as a little girl ("Miss Katie Aged Two") she is now 25 (which is hard for me to believe!?-I can't be THAT old can I??) I also just recieved word that I have permission to do a portrait rug of Maud Lewis...another "women that I admire"...so that is exciting and I will keep you posted on it's progress also...if you'd like...after reading your blog I get the feeling that we have a lot in common with our Love for this art form and our Love for our families...recently I took a little break from my "women" and hooked two "hit and miss"-scraps rugs, one for each daughter...it doesn't seem to matter to me what I am hooking as the rythm of it just makes me feel so very content and happy you know? I Love every part of hooking from the drawing of the patterns to the smell of the vinegar!! It's all good...but it's time to get back to the "women" and I will start back with Kate's portrait...anyway I wish you much happy hooking...and I will follow your blog too...Patti (:
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