As promised in my earlier posts my Portuguese Girl Matryoshka is now available in my shop!
This illustration was inspired by these beautifully embroidered aprons and table cloth that my Grandmother brought back with her when she and my Grandfather returned home from being stationed in Portugal in the late 1960s. She gave the black one to me and the red one is my Mother's. The mint Green table cloth is small but quite lovely and even has matching embroidered napkins. I am uncertain of the origin of the orange, black and white table cloth underneath. They also lived in Ethiopia during the 1960's so it may be from there. I really treasure these and they have always stirred a great curiosity in me about embroidery.
The Tibetan, Peruvian and Portuguese matryoshkas were all inspired by the similar colors used in their elaborate traditional costumes.