Smile Maker of the Week #15 - Painting by Debbie George

It’s a time of “Smile Maker of the Week”, my only series in my blog (he he!), where I share brilliant artists work that I love and makes me smile. Today I would like to share a fabulous paintings by Debbie George from Yorkshire. I am sure many of you have seen her beautiful paintings, but if not, she is a must!

I remember the delight when I first came across her paintings via Instagram probably about a half year ago. Her paintings with flowers and ceramics (which is the best choice by the way) are just so breathtakingly charming. I love that somewhat nostalgic style she creates and the way she treats the surface with scalpel, which I felt a bit like scraffitto sensation in clay that I love. 

I have been following her Instagram since and always (yes always) loved every single piece of her work without fail. I wanted to purchase her work so much but obviously could not afford many (I wish!), so I was closely monitoring her feed and talking to my heart. One day her Instagram feed came up with an image (→ this post), which wasn’t actually a painting but a photograph of a small cup with a rabbit on it and forget-me-nots. Suddenly I had a sort of flash back and felt very emotional. I even felt a bit personal. I knew this was it. So I contacted her if I could possibly purchase this combination of painting, which I knew she would paint wonderfully without a doubt. 

You can guess how delighted I was to see the painting in real life, which arrived to us last month (sorry this series title is “this week”, nevertheless!) via her solo exhibition at The Edition. 

So why personal to me? 

Well, I have a thing with rabbits but the story was this. 

Me and Muffin at my old flat

I once had a little rabbit called Muffin. 8 weeks old Muffin came to my small flat I used to live nearly 15 years ago. It was one of the most difficult time for me after having experienced a few years of physical and emotional abuse from my ex-husband. Left that ugly moment behind, I started my own life from a scratch again and slowly, but it was not easy than you might think. 

Muffin was a calm but funny bunny. I absolutely adored him. He became a great company for me. In a way I felt that he helped me to rebuild my self-esteem. He showed me a light out of tunnel, telling me that life is good. He was a saviour. 

Some years later, having started a relationship with a new man - now my husband, Muffin and I moved to a new house and settled down well. Muffin loved my step-son and he loved Muffin. Muffin became a part of our family. Unfortunately Muffin suddenly died before my daughter was born. But he remains in my heart as a symbol of good life. 

This particular painting has certainly stolen my heart, with my favourite flower, forget-me-nots. (And how not to love that name!) I now see this painting as a reminder of good life, no matter how hard the things can be. Now sitting in my living room to shine everyday. I must get it framed soon! 

Thank you so much Debbie for such a wonderful work. More of her paintings, do check out her Instagram here.