Description
My Place by P. Buckley Moss
Introduction
My Place by P. Buckley Moss is a small, intimate 1982 lithograph centered on a solitary young girl standing against the trunk of a bare tree. Dressed in soft blue-gray, she raises one arm above her head while the other rests near the tree, creating a pose that feels both playful and self-contained.
The composition is spare: girl, tree, winter landscape, and open space. That simplicity gives the young figure unusual presence and allows the title, My Place, to invite its own gentle questions about childhood—those particular corners of the world that children discover and quietly claim as their own.
This rare, limited and numbered lithograph is from an edition of 1,000 prints and is offered in mint condition, never framed or exposed to light, with excellent original color. Canada Goose Gallery independently confirms the 1982 date, lithograph medium, numbered edition of 1,000, 6 × 6-inch image size, and current price of $175.
Story Behind the Artwork
There is no documented narrative supplied for My Place, so the picture itself should lead its interpretation. Moss places the girl alone in a quiet landscape without toys, companions, buildings, or other narrative clues. The tree becomes the principal element connecting her to her surroundings.
The title changes how we encounter that simplicity. My Place may remind collectors of childhood hiding places, favorite trees, backyard corners, and other locations that seemed important precisely because a child considered them her own. This is an editorial reading rather than a documented statement of Moss’s intention, consistent with Canada Goose Gallery’s standard for distinguishing visible facts from interpretation.
Symbols & Meaning
Trees have long carried broad cultural associations with growth, endurance, and rootedness. In this particular image, however, the most compelling relationship is visual rather than symbolic: the girl is positioned directly against the large trunk, while its branches reach outward beyond her.
The contrast between the substantial tree and the small figure can be read as a meeting of childhood and the larger natural world. Her solitary presence also creates a sense of independence. Rather than appearing lonely, she seems to occupy the scene on her own terms—an interpretation reinforced by the possessive title, My Place.
Artistic Details
The circular image format immediately distinguishes My Place. The tree trunk forms a strong vertical structure through the center, while its fine, irregular branches break into the pale background. The girl’s rounded sleeves and simple skirt introduce softer shapes against the angular branches and textured bark.
Moss uses a restrained palette of pale brown, tan, dove gray, dusty blue, baby blue, and black—colors also documented on the current gallery record. Against the surrounding white paper, the six-inch image has an almost medallion-like quality.
The small scale matters aesthetically. Rather than asking to dominate a wall, My Place rewards closer viewing.
Featured Master Collections
Primary Master Collection — Childhood & Storytelling
This is the strongest thematic assignment. The approved collection encompasses children, play, imagination, and childhood memories and is built around the experiences and stories carried forward from childhood.
No additional Master Collection is necessary. Canada Goose Gallery standards specify that supporting collections should only be assigned when genuinely supported; they should not be added simply to fill available positions.
Decorating Ideas
At just 6 × 6 inches, My Place offers opportunities that larger Moss editions do not. It could become a quiet focal point on a narrow wall, reading nook, bedroom, hallway, or intimate grouping of smaller artwork.
Its dusty blues, pale browns, gray, and generous white space work especially well with cottage, traditional, and collected interiors. A restrained frame and mat treatment would allow the delicacy and open space of the composition to remain prominent.
Gift Ideas
My Place has particular potential as a gift for someone who remembers having a special childhood place—a tree, garden corner, field, backyard retreat, or other spot that belonged to the imagination as much as to the landscape.
Its young subject also makes it appropriate for a daughter or granddaughter, while its compact scale offers an approachable choice for someone beginning a P. Buckley Moss collection.
About the Edition
My Place was issued in 1982 as a limited, numbered lithograph on paper.
Numbered edition: 1,000
Artist’s proofs: 25, according to supplied gallery information
Image size: 6 × 6 inches
Paper size: 8 × 8 inches
Condition: Mint; never framed or exposed to light; color reported as excellent
Current CGG price: $175
The current Canada Goose Gallery record confirms the numbered edition of 1,000 but does not presently display the supplied quantity of 25 artist’s proofs.
🎨 Fun Fact:
A child’s idea of having a space of one’s own has a surprisingly recent history in American domestic life. Research cataloged by the Smithsonian notes that urban middle-class families began considering separate private spaces for young people during the first half of the 19th century, but individual bedrooms for young people did not become commonplace until after World War II. Over time, a child’s or teenager’s personal space increasingly became associated with privacy, independence, and individual identity. That history concerns childhood spaces generally—not Moss’s specific meaning for My Place—but it offers an interesting cultural perspective on why the simple idea of a place that feels personally “mine” can carry such emotional weight.
🖼️ Collector’s Insight:
My Place stands apart through restraint. There is only one child, one dominant tree, a pale landscape, and abundant open space. The circular six-inch composition makes the encounter especially intimate, while the girl’s oversized blue-gray sleeves, delicate figure, and relationship to the massive trunk create an appealing contrast between vulnerability and independence. For collectors who respond to Moss’s portrayals of childhood, this work offers something quieter than a school, family, or play scene: childhood presented as a private relationship with place and imagination. Its 1982 date, limited-edition format, documented mint condition, and compact dimensions add concrete collector context without overwhelming the emotional simplicity of the image.
Why Buy from Canada Goose Gallery
Canada Goose Gallery brings collector knowledge and careful attention to the presentation of P. Buckley Moss artwork. With an older limited edition such as My Place, documented information about year, medium, edition, dimensions, and condition helps collectors understand exactly what they are considering.
This example is described as mint, never framed and never exposed to light, with its color preserved—particularly relevant condition information for a work issued in 1982.
Continue Exploring
If the quiet childhood world of My Place speaks to you, continue with Canada Goose Gallery’s Childhood & Storytelling Master Collection, where children, imagination, learning, play, and remembered experiences provide the connecting story. The gallery’s approved collection includes works such as:
All associated prints offering different perspectives on the private worlds children create and remember.
Collectors interested in other individual child portraits can also explore verified Canada Goose Gallery inventory such as:
Girl Names
Boy Names
Other children:
For broader discovery, continue through the:
- Canada Goose Gallery Collections Hub
- Rare & Retired P. Buckley Moss Prints
- P. Buckley Moss Rare Art
- Girl
- Boy
“Do you remember the place that was yours?”
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