Christmas Icons

I created my first Madonna and Child collages whilst living in Florence when I was inspired by the street corner shrines.  It was then in Venice during their annual flooding 'alta acqua' that I found myself stranded in the Academia and I had time to study the beautiful Renaissance artwork and the composition of these precious icons.  Once back in the studio I reinvented these historic paintings using wrapping paper and golden doilies.  Living in Florence gave me access to amazing artisan framers and with my favourite Oltrarno studio we encapsulated my collages in hand gilded and painted frames to recreate the Florentine aesthetic.  

You can see my original collection of framed collages here as well as some numbered and signed prints which also look authentic when mounted and framed.

It was then that I decided that these iconic images would look wonderful as textiles and the Florentine Madonna cushion was the first velvet cushion I made in this style.

But my favourite has to be the Whispering Angel which represents the time that Gabriel tells the secret to Mary of her being with child.  Appropriated from artwork by Fra Angelico, this lush red velvet cushion would be a perfect addition to your home when decorating for Christmas and beyond.