The beginning of something big

The most beautiful stories often begin where you least expect them. For me, that was Thailand, in February 2025.

We visited my brother, who had lived there for years. We ate together, talked, and savored the moment. I had no idea it would be one of our last times. He passed away in March.

Yet now I feel very clearly: he has set something important in motion.

My brother arranged a stay for us at The European Chiang Mai, his friend Bertil's B&B. One morning, Bertil said, "Erica, you're an artist. You should visit Jeannette at Elephant Parade Land."

And so we found ourselves among hundreds of hand-painted elephants. Each one unique, each with its own story. But there, among all those colorful elephants, stood one small white duck. Different. Striking in its simplicity.

Something clicked.

When I told my brother about it later, he grinned: "Go ahead and do something with it, duck breeder." He called me that because I've been making art with rubber ducks for a while now, always with a message about memory, grief, love, and loss.

Back home, I started thinking. Slowly, something grew bigger than I could ever have imagined.

An art object was born. A conversation starter. A symbol for dementia, but above all, for hope. For everything that threatens to fade away and yet can be found again.

My brother is still woven into it. In every golden crack, in every story told. In every duck that finds its way.

Without him, without Thailand, without Bertil and Jeannette, Dobby International would never have existed.

The story is just beginning. And my brother is watching.

Love,
Erica de Winter