capsule collection: love notes
Today marks the full moon in Leo and in a few weeks, it’s everyone’s favorite love/hate relationship holiday: Valentine’s Day. The origins of the holiday may connect back to the pagan celebration of Lupercalia, but the “first Valentine's Day card dates to 1415 when the Duke of Orléans sent a card to his wife while he was he was a prisoner in the Tower of London. In the United States, Valentine’s Day cards didn’t gain popularity until the Revolutionary War, when people took up the habit of writing handwritten notes to their sweethearts. It was only in the early 1900s that cards were mass produced for the holiday.”
source: nat geo
The love notes collection came out of an exercise I did to make a (non-mass produced) valentine or a “love note” for my inner child. I know, I know, a bit woo, but it’s the truth, and guess what? It made my heart a little warmer and so I kept it as a reminder to keep showing myself that love and care.
With the upcoming “valentine” season and the increasing sense of disconnection so many are feeling from their loved ones, I wanted to expand this into a mini series of artworks with love in mind. In dreaming up this capsule collection, I thought of those of us looking for ways to communicate with our loved ones in this time and those of us needing to spend a little extra on self-love.
I worked alongside flowers and plants in shades of pink and purple, as well as crystals including rose quartz, kunzite, amethyst, rhodochrosite, moonstone, hematite and clear quartz. There’s an inherent sweetness to them I think I too often bury and at this time in this world we’re all muddling through, well, it just felt damn good to make them. So if they find their way into anyone else’s home and heart, that will just be the icing on the “millennial pink” cake.
There are 8 new 6x6 originals available along with 2 from the broader Winter Collection that tie together. One larger 16x16 original is the mama bear of them all and I really enjoyed getting into the details on this one. A couple of the pieces have some limited quantity art prints available, as well.
A few of My Muses you’ll love to love this season:
amanda p. clare
“hearts & things” oil on canvas original paintings from my friend, amanda (another lover of square artwork), always make me smile. she’s currently working on this year’s series, so keep an eye on her here.
sio ceramics by makeda siobahn
handmade, wearable ceramics made with love (and a bit of laughter) by one of my favorite instagram “pen pals.” she names her pieces after women she loves and respects… maybe one day there will be a “larissa” (just sayin’). shop her latest here.
lindsay king studio
for my birthday this year, i treated myself to one of lindsay’s love energy paintings from her angel series in a project she calls “the secret garden shop.” my words won’t do her work or her process justice, so please check her out here or follow her on instagram for a glimpse of why she has been a major inspiration.
Keep an eye out for future conversations with each of these amazing artists. I’m hoping to exploring their work, process, where they find their inspirations and what is currently musing them.
That’s all for now, loves!
Thank you for taking the time and showing interest in this evolving project. It means more than you know. Now extra credit if you go write yourself a love note.
Love, L.