Dad

There's somewhat of a lengthy story behind this piece, so get comfortable..

When I was thirteen, my father died of a heroin overdose. I was your typical daddy's girl, so I was crushed. When planning the viewing, my aunt thought that it would be nice if she got something for my brother and I to place in my father's casket. What did she pick out? A cross shaped pillow with "Dad" beautifully stitched on it.

The next year, my cousin died. His son was spending the night at my house on the night of the funeral and, since I knew how he was feeling, I spent the night trying to help cheer him up. When everyone in the house had gone to bed, I was still awake, unable to sleep. My solution was to pull out my sketchbook and draw the first thing that I laid eyes on. It just happened to be that the first place I looked was toward my father's pillow. Determined, I spent the next six hours lying on my floor, doing my best to add in every little detail—it had to be perfect. In the morning, my cousin saw my drawing and requested that I make a copy for him to take home.

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So this was my attempt at capturing the beauty of the elegant little pillow. Personally, I feel it's the greatest piece of artwork I've ever made.