About a teacup for your storm

‘A teacup for your storm’ is a painting of a willow pattern teacup and saucer in a stormy sea.

It’s a visual play on the British idiom ‘storm in a teacup’, an expression which refers to any issue that people get upset about which then turns out to be not important or trivial. But this is NOT a storm in a teacup, it’s a teacup for your storm.  The idiom was reversed by my friend Helena from Wonderwords Personalised Poems who wrote a poem about me, the first three verses of which are:

“If there was a “Good Ship Jane”
What a wonder that would be
Sailing gently round the globe
So many lands to see!

And every landscape that she passed
Exotic, wild or quaint
Would be captured with an artist’s brush
In memories made of paint.

The Captain is a marvellous girl!
Adventurous, brave and warm
Offering safe harbour
And a teacup for your storm.”

As I read this line, not only did I think that this was such a lovely thing to say, I also saw this painting in my mind.  I had to paint it!

And as I painted it, it occured to me that it’s a symbol of these strange times too. We all need a warm, peaceful and safe harbour against the turbulence of the global pandemic, something to bring us solace as we are not able to see our families and friends. And, if you’re in the UK as I am, some tea and sympathy to comfort us as the politicians take us down the road of the national suicide known as Brexit.