Father “Winter”, VFA Nr. 17089After a trip to the Netherlands, Judi Vaillancourt became familiar with the work of Dutch botanist, Jac. P. Thijsse. Born in 1865 in Maastricht, Netherlands, Jac P was honored for his work with a gift of a wildlife garden near Haarlem, which was the first wildlife garden in the Netherlands, and continues to be one of the oldest worldwide. Coincidentally, while researching designs for her 2018 Chalkware collection, Judi stumbled upon an artist represented in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston who’s art deco and Nouveau style was directly inspired by the leaves of Thijsse’s gardens. This style, used to decorate the cover of the book “Winter Door” by Thijsse with ginkgo biloba leaves and pine cones, was a broad style used extensively for book covers of the time. Father “Winter”, VFA Nr. 17089The “Father ‘Winter’” one of a kind, is one of experimentation and passion. With two accessories that can be swapped out depending on the piece’s display—a garland of pine cones and a golden bottle brush tree—the grandeur of this piece is second to none. This piece, painted in December 2017, is the start of a style series for Judi which will be prominent in the 2018 Chalkware catalog. This one of a kind is the perfect piece for any series collector, botanical historian, or, simply, a lover of fine art. Enjoy complimentary shipping on this piece.