Memorial (Commission)

Here's why there was a June slump, I'm gonna do better this month and next I promise. Lost a few of y'all but that's okay! This was an incredibly special thing I got to do and I hope some of y'all can appreciate my insanely sentimental side. It was worth the silent period. 

"Today, and in this segment, we focus on the loss of Priscilla. Not just who she was but who she was becoming. All of the special moments that her friends and family would have had with her. All of the acts of love that she would have added to a lifetime resume of loving people well and fiercely.

When I initially conceived of the illustrated elements in the second segment I found it so moving that I was determined to find a way to get it done.

After going through multiple artists and getting some sample spec work done I was close to accepting that I wasn’t going to be able to make it happen.

Enter Caroline Catlett Gates. A few years ago we had a family portrait painted by Caroline and I reached out to her in desperation to see if she knew anyone that might be able to pull off a miracle.

Turns out, that person was her.

What happened next, I believe, can only be explained by the overwhelming love that was the embodiment of Priscilla. After starting on the work and beginning to understand the gravity of what she was creating, Caroline became so invested in making something special for everyone that loved Priscilla that she put her life on hold for the duration of the project.

I’m talking coffee breaks, naps, and 12-15 hour sessions with her tablet along with hours of conversation to collaborate with me on getting all of the special details that we could into her art.

It still chokes me up to think about how Priscilla would have reacted to someone who never met her going so many extra miles to make sure that something being made for people she cared about was done to perfection.

Priscilla’s loss is a hard thing to accept and stare into the face of. But for the sake of being able to appreciate other parts of Priscilla’s story without the “ending” of loss looming, we will focus on it today."

-Roger Tipping II