Untitled, Stephanie Dyer

Untitled.
Stephanie Dyer.
Acrylic.

:::
about the piece.
This piece is for a mama and papa overseas, who have lost three children. They wanted a family portrait that would show all of them together. The two background couples symbolize two of their children who were born, and then died. The center depiction of this couple is of the child that was stillborn. This couple has had each pregnancy photographed, with the daddy encircling the mama and I wanted to continue that expression of love and support in my painting. I have added a close up of one of the background couples that I believe depicts the grief of a Father, particularly well. -Stephanie

about the artist.
Stephanie Dyer describes her loss and her journey, "Amelia Rose Dyer was born gently and peacefully on March 11, 2010. She weighed 7 lbs. 12 oz., was 20 inches long with lots of dark hair and simply beautiful. Jesus got to hold her before we did, but we are forever grateful for our time with her. She was loved from the beginning, through the middle, at the end, and forever more.

"Twenty-four weeks into pregnancy with my fourth child, Amelia Rose, my daughter was diagnosed with multiple congenital anomalies that were not compatible with life. We were told she would most likely NOT make it to the third trimester, let alone term. I spent the next 16 weeks of my pregnancy falling in love with my baby knowing that we would not likely ever see her alive. We were blessed with 16 weeks to plan and prepare for Amelia. We were given the miracle of time. She endured for 40 weeks against all odds.

"Choosing to create has been a driving force for me during the last part of my pregnancy. The genesis of Beyond Words Designs has given me something to hold onto as I awaited Amelia's birth. I truly believe that it will be a lifeline; a way for me to crawl out of the devastation and help others by creating beauty from pain.

"So many bereaved parents suffer from the purposeful deletion of their child's name in conversation. The death we experience is hard enough, but the loss of hearing our child’s name spoken aloud, is a continuous trigger for our grief. I could not bear the thought of this happening to Amelia. So, I painted her name along with words that represent the amazing blessings she has already given us. Amelia's canvas hangs proudly above our fireplace in the most visible part of our home, inviting all who come into our home to feel it is safe to speak her name aloud."

Stephanie creates hand-painted acrylic works for bereaved parents at Beyond Words Designs. She writes about her journey and grief at Carried Through Grief.