Momma

Pierced by love, bound for life.

My pregnancy was debilitating. I could barely function as a human being. Now – my baby is six months old and while I feel physically and mentally recovered – time is my biggest challenge. All of these paintings have been made with my baby on my lap or her strapped to my chest or back.

I know many mothers feel as I do that having a baby is a privilege, a joy, an endless stream of thankfulness and delight at watching and spending time with your baby. Yet at the same time it can be stressful, you can’t do the things or the work you love anymore. Your time is truncated and sliced and diced into five or ten minute increments. The ability to sit down and focus on a task uninterrupted is bygone luxury.

I hear the refrain from mothers over and over, “I’ve never loved someone so much in my whole life, but I’ve never been more excited for someone to go to sleep.”

The tension between love and exhaustion from constant caregiving is where many mothers live.

Momma, 48″x72″

Because my life structure has changed I’ve decided to release works a little differently for this series. I usually make works in series and release the series all at once. With this collection I will be offering a rolling release.

These paintings are pierced paintings and though shown chained together they are sold as individual works. Each painting is pierced with golden chains symbolizing the irrevocable nature of motherhood. It is beautiful, it is a treasured honor, but it can also be heavy.

Baby, 12″x12″

Whether your children are here, whether they are grown, whether you’ve lost a child, or whether you’re just beginning your journey like me – motherhood pierces us and leaves us altered. So too with these works I wish to convey the gravity, the honor, the beauty, the pleasure of motherhood, while also depicting the way it binds us for life and changes us forever.

Together, 24″x24″

More works will be coming soon of varying sizes. Thanks for your patience as I have journeyed this new path exploring the new piercings on my heart. To inquire about any of these works please email [email protected]

Chains

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