Ben Irwin 
“At the core of Dottieshop, it’s not about the money.” Dorothea Chow, a Singapore-based artist, explained about her work in calligraphy, watercolor, scrapbooking and design.
“It all goes back to the power to create. As human beings made in the image of God, we are constantly creating every day, every moment. We create opportunities, we create routines, we create words on a page, we create conversations, and yes, we create art.”
Dorothea’s dream is “to create things of beauty, that celebrate people, that speak of life and love, that lift up, inspire and encourage, that make a special occasion that much more precious.”
Her approach to her craft is consistent with her approach to life. She invests much of herself into her two young sons, helping them learn to work through issues, watching them grow and thrive. She also shares the news with her boys and explains what is happening around the globe.
“Especially those news reports that break my heart, where we read of children their age who are suffering so much, many miles away. One of those days, as we read about children caught in the gunfire between fighters in the Middle East, I saw him quite overcome by emotion, and the thought popped into my mind, ‘Why don’t we do something about it together?’”
So that’s just what they did. Dorothea and her 5-year-old son created a print together. “This was the first collaboration with my elder boy… and hopefully it won’t be the last!” she said.
“I don’t want him to feel only despair and helplessness when we read such articles, because I have felt that myself before. Yet the truth is that every one of us CAN play a part, big or small, in reaching out to those in need.”
“I asked him what he wanted to draw, and he wanted to draw the whole world ‘because God loves everyone in the world’. He drew and colored his globe with crayons, then I scanned it into the computer and cropped it.”
Dorothea then added text that would fit with her son’s drawing. She came up with “‘Fight for what truly matters’ as a reminder to us all that we ‘fight’ too many unnecessary battles every day. Not just on the world stage, but in our homes, in our marriages, in our offices.”
Dorothea created a print, with all proceeds directed to Preemptive Love Coalition “because you guys are standing in the gap for those innocent ones caught in the gunfire.”
“I find myself supporting what PLC is doing and the heart behind your mission. Through the stories shared, I can really get a glimpse of what day-to-day ministry is like, and how personal it is. PLC is more than just an organization—it’s more like a family who cares for the individual in their midst, and that’s what I love most about it.”
There are currently three prints available through Dottieshop, the proceeds from which will directly impact the lives of families in Iraq. You can see more of her work on Instagram and her blog.
