A Small Joy

A Small Joy

8 x 8 inches (20.3 x 20.3 cm)

A Small Joy is part of Inherited Blooms — a deeply personal limited edition collection created in quiet collaboration with my late mother, an accomplished textile artist. The floral center of this piece was shaped and appliquéd entirely by her hand. I have completed each composition with layered fabric and beadwork — her work and mine meeting in a shared space of memory, material, and meaning. Only 19 pieces remain in this collection.

Two warm blooms and two tender buds gather together in a moment of playful, quietly radiant charm — each petal constructed from inherited fabrics in warm amber, burnt coral, and soft orange, layered and shaped by my mother's hand with the same loving attention she brought to everything she made. The left bloom opens fully, its golden amber center densely filled with Czech glass beads in warm gold that catch the light with a honeyed, sunlit glow — and nestled right at the heart of the beadwork, a small glass ladybug rests with quiet delight, the same beloved visitor who appeared in Where Gentle Joy Rests, returning here like a familiar presence, a quiet hello from somewhere cherished. The right bloom opens more modestly, its center equally densely beaded in warm gold and amber Czech glass beads that shimmer with the same generous warmth. Two small fabric buds — one deep crimson on the left stem, one coral on the right — hold themselves in the tender, expectant stillness of things not yet fully open, adding a sense of continuity and becoming to the composition. Sage and olive green fabric stems carry the blooms and buds with easy, botanical grace. The inner background is the soft beige and white sheer check fabric that appears throughout the Inherited Blooms Collection — quiet, airy, and deeply familiar. The outer border is a vibrant orange and red batik fabric alive with floral and leaf forms — warm, energetic, and joyfully complementary to the amber and coral blooms within.

Though modest in scale, A Small Joy carries a sense of warmth and meaning — an invitation to pause, to notice, and to hold onto what brings quiet happiness. Presented in a light white wash floating frame, ready to hang. This piece is part of the Inherited Blooms Collection — a limited edition of only 19 remaining pieces.

Details:

• Artwork Size: 8 x 8 inches (20.3 x 20.3 cm)
• Medium: Inherited appliquéd fabric, layered fabric, and Czech glass beads on cradled birch panel
• Floral center appliquéd by the artist's late mother
• Dense Czech glass bead flower centers in warm gold and amber
• Glass ladybug nestled within left bloom center
• Two fabric bud details — crimson and coral
• Sage and olive green fabric stems
• Soft beige and white sheer check inner background fabric
• Vibrant orange and red batik outer border fabric
• Light white wash floating frame included
• Cradled birch panel
• Ready to hang
• Limited edition — only 19 pieces remaining in the Inherited Blooms Collection
• One of a kind original artwork
• Signed by the artist