I searched for the right artist for quite a long time, and am just thrilled with what Gabe has created! I wanted a wrapper that would highlight the chickens since their eggs are a key ingredient in the soap, along with one of our sheep (for the lanolin) and a honey bee (honey and beeswax). I also wanted the wrapper to include lavender plants, since the soap contains lavender essential oil, and to compliment the soap itself which is butter yellow with lavender buds and calendula petals on top.
I particularly wanted to pay tribute to Molly, an amazingly independent, affectionate (yes, chickens can be affectionate!), and intelligent pet Americauna chicken who lived in the goat barn instead of the hen house. For those of you who have been with us a while, you probably were greeted by her when you visited our farm during Open Studio weekends. She used to love hanging out in the pottery studio with me and managed to "assist" in the design of more than one pot. One day we're going to write a children's book about Molly. There are so many stories and tales to tell! We think of her often and miss her.
I sent Gabe a series of photos of Molly and our rare breed Leicester Longwool sheep, and he began his work. Here's his sketch:
You can see how he planned his design around the logo button and the name band that I would need to add later.
Then he went to work painting...and this is what he created:
I think it's beautiful!
Here's the wrapper in it's final form, with the logo and name band attached.
We were so smitten by Gabe's work that we asked him to do a couple more wrappers for us, including Lilac and Neem, Tea Tree & Company. Right now he's working on a new Coconut Ginger Lime wrapper. Look for the new wrappers in use soon!
For more information on Gabe and his work, please visit his website www.gabrieltempesta.com.
Thanks, Gabe!
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