A Thousand Lovers' Eyes: The Story
On June 18th, 2015, my mom gave me a handmade, empty locket for my 30th birthday. It was made from molten bits of gold: a piece of my great-grandmother's watch, my grandmother's gold necklace and my grandfather's gold fillings. The rose gold chain was a gift from my grandmother.
My mom told me to paint something to put inside it, but I was paralyzed by indecision. Then, a little less than a year later, our son Felix Winter was born. His bright blue eyes surprised us, since both of us have brown eyes. I decided to paint one of them for my birthday locket, and the idea of creating a modern ode to the Lover's Eye jewellery of the 18th century was born.
I started scribbling down notes and meeting with jewellers, but I only found the right person a year later, at my show in Sydney: Carla Maxine Germann. Together we spent another year (and many emails) refining the design.
Art historians believe that only about 1000 of these intimate eye paintings survive, so I decided to echo that number and limit the collection to 1000 numbered pieces.
Two details in the design carry special meaning. The delicate lines in the pendant's frame are a subtle reference to the Ouroboros, one of the oldest mystical symbols in the world: the serpent eating its own tail, symbolizing the infinite cycle of nature's endless creation and destruction. And the teardrop-shaped bail at the top of the pendant is a reference to tears of sorrow and joy.
To date, I’ ve painted 84 Lovers Eyes - each with it’s own memory attached to it, belonging to someone: a child, a partner, a parent, a love that deserves to be held close.