‘Open Your Eyes, Baby Cole’
A firefly guides him home — Painting In Progress
A lyrical story about Baby Cole’s journey before birth—guided by a glowing firefly from his warm bed to his family, where he becomes part of their family tree.
The firefly represents warmth, courage, trust, and the love that guides us home.
I created this as a keepsake book for Baby Cole’s parents—
a baby shower gift for close friends.
I’m sharing it here to show my design process: how I develop a complete story first, then choose what to paint on wood.
The Story Unfolds
Before painting anything, I design the complete story. For Baby Cole, the story unfolds across illustrated pages, each one spelling L-O-V-E—the foundation of his family tree.
"I'm your friend, and I'll shine for you as bright as the sun. We will find Mum and Dad, and our hearts will beat as one."
This book was a one-time gift. But the design process is the same for every commission:
I create the whole story first, then paint the element that carries the most power.
What gets Painted
The complete story has been designed; now comes the painting—hand-painted on wood with gold leaf, built to last for generations.
However, what makes legacy art different is that I don't paint everything. I paint the one element that carries the most emotional weight. Baby Cole's parents will choose what to paint:e's parents can print, frame, or turn into a book.
Why one Element
Because great art is about focus, I design the complete story—every symbol, every layer, every detail. You receive that complete design as a high-resolution digital file.
But what I paint on wood is the one element that deserves 48 inches of space, weeks of my attention, hand-applied gold leaf, and layers of meaning.
The complete story exists digitally. What hangs on the wall is the essence—refined, powerful, built to last for generations.
What you Receive:
Your written story — The narrative behind your piece, beautifully formatted.
Your complete design — All symbols and elements illustrated in high resolution, a finished digital artwork you can print, frame, or keep as a family keepsake.
Your hand-painted piece — One element from your story, painted on wood with gold leaf. You choose: a single symbol, an abstract essence, or (if you prefer) the whole narrative.
Note: Baby Cole’s book was a special one-time gift for close friends.
Books are not part of standard commissions—but the creative process is the same.