Gift of Love 2017

Jana Brike, who was born in 1980, painted this surreal scene called ‘Gift of Love’ with oil paint on canvas. Oh, honey, I know that feeling when everything is just a little bit too precious, a little too romantic. Can’t you just imagine Brike in her studio, laying down each delicate stroke, each tiny butterfly, just so? It's like a dream, all hazy blues and gentle pinks, right? The way the lamb nestles in the girl's arms, adorned with flowers, it’s as if she’s trying to capture a moment that’s already slipping away. The surface is smooth, almost like porcelain, which lends a certain stillness to the scene. This makes me think about other painters who've tried to freeze time, like maybe a pre-Raphaelite painting, but with a modern, maybe a little bit dark, twist. You can sense the artist's hand in every detail, and it's the little things that get you, right? We all want to hold onto something beautiful.