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Elisabeth Congdon, Artist

…born on this date, January 17.  She was always an aspiring artist.  Here she is pretending to be Andy Warhol.

Lisawarhol

In honor of her birthday, I would like to present a retrospective of her art, that resides in my home. Here are some examples of her early textile work. First, a self portrait on muslin and second, a self portrait batik piece.

Lisafabricdrawing

Lisabatik

Over the years, I have been the recipient of many artistic gifts. Twenty years ago, she made this needlepoint sampler for me.

Lisaneedlepoint

In 1991, I received this water color with an Alice Walker quote.

Lisaflowerwatercolor

The quote is:

…guided by my heritage of a love of beauty and a respect for strength — in search of my mother’s garden, I found my own. — Alice Walker

In 2002, She made this collage for me. It says "A day patched with quilting seldom unravels."

Quiltcollage

The next year, with this collage, you can see the mixed media artist really emerging.

Lisadresscollage

The poem is by Raymond Carver.

And did you get what you wanted from this life even so?
I did.
And what did you want?
To call myself beloved, to feel myself beloved on the earth.

This painting which is a self-portrait, painted from a photograph is among our favorite gifts from Lisa.

Lisapainting

I also just love these mod birds. These are an original design which took some engineering to get them to stand on those little wire legs.

Lisamodbirds

This patchwork pillow is one of the first of many that she had made and sold through her blog.

Lisapatchworkpillow

This  final piece is from here latest mixed media work. I love her pieces that have birds on a wire.

Birdonawirecollage

So there you have it. I’d like to close with this little gem that I found. It was probably written by Lisa when she was 7 or 8 years old. It sums up what she has meant to me over the years – a loving, compassionate and very hugable daughter.

Lisalovenote

(I will help you get better and I hope you can help yourself)

10 Responses to “Elisabeth Congdon, Artist”

  1. PaMdora says:

    Loved the retrospective and that pillow is to die for! You and your family are all so talented! Hope you get to feeling better – it’s no fun being sick!

  2. teri says:

    I love the poem about being beloved. There is a young lady whose parents made sure she knows she is loved…..No wonder she has such a loving and giving nature.

    Happy Birthday Lisa!!

    teri

  3. Happy Birthday to Lisa! What a wonderful tribute, Gerrie. Isn’t she lucky to have gotten your talent!

  4. DebR says:

    Happy birthday to Lisa! Loved the art retrospective! 🙂

  5. Reva says:

    Such a perfect, and touching, tribute to your daughter. Happy birthday, Lisa!

  6. terry grant says:

    What a loving Mom you are. I have seen your face get all soft and smiley, and heard your voice filled with love as you talk about your children. Those pieces of art are priceless. Happy birthday to Lisa.

  7. lisa says:

    this was great, mom!!! thank you. i love you so much.

  8. Laurie says:

    I love seeing the evolution of Lisa’s art. The letter brought tears to my eyes. What a sweet, sweet girl. Happy birthday to Lisa!

  9. jenclair says:

    The evolution of an artist! Thanks for sharing these, Gerrie. “Lovable, huggable, compassionate” – quite a tribute!

  10. dee says:

    Happy Birthday to Lisa-what a gift she is to you. I have tears in my eyes. How lucky you are to have each other.