Description

Blue Shoes by P. Buckley Moss

Content & Subject

Blue Shoes is a rare, limited edition lithograph by beloved American folk artist P. Buckley Moss, belonging to her cherished One Girl Collection. This graceful artwork features a young girl in a ballet pose, her arms lifted elegantly above her head as she stands poised against a quiet winter backdrop. The title draws attention to her delicate blue ballet shoes, a symbol of artistic expression, aspiration, and childhood dreams.

This piece not only reflects Moss’s fascination with the innocence of children but also her deep love for the arts—including music, movement, and dance. By depicting a little ballerina, Moss pays tribute to the discipline and beauty of ballet while capturing the wonder of a child’s imagination.

The composition is framed within a circular border, a powerful symbol in Moss’s work. The circle suggests wholeness, continuity, and eternity, reinforcing the timelessness of childhood innocence and the universality of artistic expression.

Style & Technique

Rendered in Moss’s classic folk art style, Blue Shoes blends simplicity with elegance. The muted palette of soft winter browns and grays forms a serene backdrop, allowing the figure of the girl to stand out with her blue shoes and patterned top. Moss’s delicate linework conveys movement with minimal strokes, suggesting the quiet grace of dance.

The circular format is particularly significant—it acts like a stage spotlight, focusing the viewer’s attention on the ballerina while also evoking the cyclical nature of life and art. This design choice makes the piece feel intimate and eternal, like a fleeting moment captured and preserved.

As a signed and numbered lithograph, each Blue Shoes carries Moss’s hand-signed authentication, making it a highly sought-after treasure among collectors of her early girl-themed works.

Mood & Inspiration

The mood of Blue Shoes is hopeful, graceful, and nostalgic. The young girl embodies both innocence and aspiration, as though she is dancing not only for herself but for the sheer joy of self-expression. Moss, whose life was steeped in music, theater, and visual art, channels her admiration for all creative forms into this gentle depiction of a child at play and performance.

The snow-filled setting enhances the sense of purity and tranquility, while the ballet pose symbolizes dedication, beauty, and the timeless language of dance.

Placement & Gift Ideas

This rare Moss lithograph makes an exquisite addition to spaces that celebrate creativity and tenderness:

• A child’s bedroom or nursery, inspiring imagination and dreams

• A dance studio or music room, celebrating Moss’s love for the arts

• A living room or study, where its circular design adds harmony and balance to a gallery wall

• A gift for dancers, teachers, or art lovers, especially those who appreciate ballet or the performing arts

It also makes a meaningful keepsake for birthdays, recitals, or milestones in a young dancer’s life.

Each limited edition print is signed and numbered as part of the publishing process, ensuring authenticity before release.
Includes a Certificate of Authenticity from Canada Goose Gallery, embossed with our gallery seal on a gold label. (see FAQs)

Rare Art Print

1982

Image Size: 7-1/4 x 7-3/4 inches. Paper Size: 9-3/8 x 9-3/8 inches.