"Tulips" Pendant

Artist: Anna FeneisInspiration: Mardi KaplanAnna's Artist Statement: I often think about the tulips that bloom on Michigan Avenue every spring. In preparation, thousands of bulbs are planted along the road in late October. Then in April, after what feels like an endless winter submerged by gray skies and temperatures so bitter they make your eardrums hurt, a colorful oasis of flowers surface. People unwrap their scarves and smile as they walk past each other. They start to forget the pain in their ears and snow soaked feet. A new energy takes over and the city comes back to life.I have been blessed to be surrounded by brilliant and strong women my entire life. My grandmother drove soldiers to battle in World War II, my mother was a professor, and my sister just finished her seventh novel. When I first met Mardi, I knew instantly that she fit perfectly into that mold. She is fiercely loyal, adventurous, motivated, and craves growth. She weathered her cancer battle as if she knew the tul