#SABRhARTper

[lachlanclarke]

Hither Hither Love || Lachladele || February 14th, 2017

One of Lachlan’s favorite things about the Clarke’s home in Los Angeles was its color and life. Every wall had a story, pictures and paintings- or sometimes just finger paint. It always amazed him just how alive it was, no less than the very kids stomping through the halls. It was hard for him to think of gifts for Adele and it wasn’t because she was picky, that was far from the truth. No, he felt like they had the world and filling their life with things felt silly when you had the world. Looking at the walls, Lachlan realized that a lot of the pictures were of their children or from before they home was five-kids-full.

The idea to get a digital frame for some new artwork came to him on a lunch date with his eldest daughter, Evie. They had taken brown baggies into hARTper and sat on a bench surrounded by art, talking about the colors, the people, and the animals. It wasn’t the most in-depth conversation or even a memory she might remember in five or ten years, but he could still remember her face when she saw the digital art. There was a massive frame and it held one view changing over time. The picture was morphing from day to night and season to season. Evie looked at it for ages, longer than he’d ever seen her be still, and then when she spoke she’d only said one word, “Magic!”

Lachlan knew that feeling, how you could just look at something and know that it was unbelievable and out of this world. Just thinking about that feeling drew him to the memory of Adele holding a tiny little Evie and how in an instant he was full of love and wonder. Of course, he knew capturing magic was easier said than done, but the combination of that wonderment and the many other happy memories hanging on their walls at home set his heart on making something for them. So, he went back and talked to Coralie about the studio’s Valentine’s Day plans and how long and what it took for that piece of work. A million questions later he had a price, a plan, a story, and some Valentine’s Day plans.

Meys had no plans and had previously voiced it was unfair that Hamish and Erin were always the go-to for a babysitter. The day was spent with the kids, making cards for their mum and nana, eating heart shaped pancakes, and dancing in the sand. After successfully chucking a dinner for Meys and the kids in the oven, Lachlan gave Adele her first gift. The dress had delicate details, the fabric dancing with the lightest movement. After the pair were dressed he drove her downtown to the art studio. Candles lit the room where a dinner of fried chicken and all the Southern staple fixin’s sat waiting for them on a silver platter. Coralie slipped in and said hello, taking a seat across the room. An orchestra of some of Lachlan’s friends then trickled in, sitting in another corner of the room before they started to play.

Reaching out his hand, Lachlan asked Adele for a dance. As they swayed back and forth, Coralie worked behind an electronic easel. The pictures were quick and dirty, to be painted over the next few months, scanned, and then uploaded to a large digital frame that would be installed in the music room. The end result was as magical as the painting that had fascinated Evie. The movement of her dress, the details of how he held her, it was like watching a memory come to life. While it became a popular talk piece in for new guests, it was a reminder to Adele that their relationship was alive, that their love was magic.