Great Fosters
Possibly my most challenging and favourite commission to date. My client came to me, looking for a 10th anniversary present for his wife. He didn’t know what he wanted. He just knew he liked my work and wanted something that told their story.
We sat together in my studio over a few coffees. I scribbled furiously as he told me about how they met, how he proposed, their wedding, their honeymoon, their life together and the family they were raising.
As their story unfolded, so did the concept of his commission. I wanted to create a happy picture that told their story and encouraged them to stop still, to make new discoveries and revisit special memories.
"Maithili painted a picture of our wedding venue, Great Fosters and its grounds…but with a difference. Well, 26 differences that each referenced something significant in our time dating, marriage and life together. A cheeky blue door on the stately home to mark our life in Notting Hill; flowers from my wife’s wedding bouquet; a slug on a lettuce in the veggie patch as a nod to our first meeting at The Slug and Lettuce; a couple of magpies to honour my wife’s hometown and football team…to name just a few. We’re so pleased with the end result. I’ll be forever grateful for your creativity and sheer brilliance. It’s a lovely piece that provides so many reminders of the last 12 years."