Ben & Jerry's Meets Mother Goose in a painting for my son.

Ice Cream Diddle, 48" x 24", Oil on Panel, ©2009 Jennie Traill Schaeffer

Hey diddle diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon.
The little dog laughed to see such fun,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.

Finally, it's finished! I started this painting last October, before my son, Joel, was born in November. What began initially as a composition combining cows and their yummy product, ice cream, turned into a playful reference to the nursery rhyme Hey Diddle Diddle. Using artistic license, some of the rhyme was exempted and changed - rather than a small dog, I used my large dog Ringo for the line "the little dog laughed". I also included Joel's initial somewhere in the painting. Though the work will eventually hang in my son's nursery, for now you can see it in person at TraillWorks. And, there may be an opportunity for you to purchase a reproduction of the painting in the near future. Check back for more information in future posts.