Il Mio Fiore
Title: Il Mio Fiore
This deeply personal piece can only be described as a labor of love.
At the end of November 2022, my family lost our matriarch. She was a complicated woman, but she was so good at hiding it from many. I was lucky/not so lucky to see the real side of my Nana which lead to some very "colorful" moments in our relationship.
I guess since her and I struggled with a lot of the same things, she always felt comfortable around me, so we would tell me everything. Somethings a granddaughter doesn't want to know, as it tarnishes that Virgin Mary glow they have of their grandmother, but it made us have such a special relationship that I know she didn't have with her other grandchildren.
One thing she would talk to me often about was her deep saddness about missing my grandfather. My Pops passed in March 1994. She would tell me how she didn't have the will to live, but when my mother asked her to come on the weekends to help with me and my four other siblings, she found her will again. My Nana got to see so many of us married, and great grandchildren, all these milestones she would always pull me aside at and say "Loretta, he is missing it". My response was, "He's here, and one day you'll give him the first hand report on how it was".
This piece has the sheet music to the song La donna è mobile, from one of my grandparents favorite operas, Rigoletto, sung by their favorite opera singer, Enrico Caruso. Oddly enough La donna è mobile translates to "Woman is fickle" which cracks me up when I think of my Nana, but that is besides the point. As I made this piece, I listened to the song on repeats from my grandparents original Caruso records from 1916, which were my great grandfathers.
The flowers are made from heavy acrylics that were custom mixed to ensure great vibrant colors, to match my Nana's personality, and the brightness she brought into all of our lives. Especially the yellow roses, which were her favorite.
And finally the name, Il Mio Fiore. The name.... that is the nickname my Pops called my Nana.. mio fiore, my flower. In her final weeks, which none of us knew were her final weeks, she would constantly talk to me about their love story. You don't meet the love of your life at 4 years old, but she did and their love grew as they aged. Just like a flower that grows from a tiny seed, that flourishes into a beauty thing for all of those to see around them. To be admired and treasured. That was them, something to be in awe of and treasured, and after 29 years apart, they are finally together again.
Material: Wire, Sheet Music, Heavy Acrylic
Size: 31”H x 16”W x 14”D
Year: 2023
Piece comes with stand for display
