Mother’s Day Locket (Portrait of Artist and Artist’s Sister), Watercolour; © Jennifer Pohl

Few people have seen this piece, and it will likely be the only larger-than-life image that I will be posting on this blog. The actual paintings are each only about the size of a pinky nail. My sister has posed for me fairly often, but this is the youngest portrait I’ve done of her.

These tiny locket paintings were done years ago along with another “wee little” diptych as my Mother’s Day gifts to my mother and grandmother. I had to cut one of my brushes down to a few hairs, and was placing hot wet cloths on my sore neck by the time they were completed, but the joy it gave made it more than worth a little muscle strain. With all the paintings I have out in the world –most of which I will never see again– I’m very glad that I took the time to do these little paintings for two of the women who have been a great source of inspiration and strength for me.