Finn Abstract Contemporary Fine Art Print | Unframed

I hope people see joy and hope and grief sitting side by side in this piece. We are often jostled and jarred by these conflicts of extreme emotions but for bereaved parents or those who await their turn to be parents, these emotions often cohabit if not comfortably, then affably enough together. Concurrently. Constantly. Ceaseless.”

As we prepare for our newest arrival, we ponder the gifts he will bring to the world and we reflect on the values we want our children to have. Kindness, compassion and generosity top the list and with each baby we’ve sought to find appropriate causes to give back to as a way of celebrating and paying forward the kindness, care, compassion and generosity shown to us as a family. After a combined total of nearly 6 months in hospital over our ‘new baby’ years, giving back to the exceptional staff there who feel like extended family seemed most appropriate as we, feeling relief and reluctance in equal measure, draw a line under the baby chapter of our lives.” Claire Devine - Artist

If you are a little new around here you might not know that the baby boy we are expecting any day now is actually our 7th pregnancy...but only our third baby. Miraculously, we've made it further along in this pregnancy than ever before. In fairness, I've needed plenty of expert care and hospital bed rest but even so...We're pleased as punch.

Having miscarriages and premature babies ...we've learnt a lot about the importance of gratitude for every single day of our lives... So, I wanted to paint something that celebrated the joy in every day without denying the struggles of life, too. We're very pragmatic about the possibility of another premature baby...but that doesn't mean that the strain of that reality doesn't impact our lives. Leaving your new baby in hospital for weeks is not for the faint of heart. We are all capable of feeling immense joy and incredible grief concurrently - I wanted to acknowledge that.

The resulting piece is this one. We named it Finn because the 'working title' for this baby has been Huckleberry. (Will not actually be his name.)

I wanted to paint something for this baby...but also for everyone who has had a 'rainbow baby' - a baby born after a loss, and for all those still awaiting their rainbow baby. We know the pain of that wait, too.

Finn is a celebration of rainbow babies. Rainbow parents. Those who dream of being parents. Premmie babies. Premmie parents. The incredible carers in Special Care, NICU and Maternity wards everywhere.

...and with that desire to acknowledge what is often a difficult topic or one that is muted entirely, we wanted to give back to 'our' Special Care Nursery and the incredible specialist midwives and nurses who have cared for our two previous premature babies and cared for us, as their parents, so well.

This print raised $1100 for the Wesley Special Care Nursery in the first month of sales. It comes in A2, A1 and A0 prints that fit straight into standard, store-bought frames.