ART AFTER: RECONCILING ART AND MOTHERHOOD
Can you be an artist and a mother?
I began the “Art After” series in 2014 when being an artist and being a mother began to feel impossible. I didn’t have the time and energy to make art, but I also knew I would be miserable if I quit. This project is my attempt to reconcile these roles.
I make small paintings and only work on each one until I get interrupted by my kids, which never takes long at my house! I document the times and interruptions on the backs—little glimpses into life behind the scenes, bum wipes and all.
As the pieces accumulated I began sharing the project on Instagram where it has found a global audience and sparked a larger conversation about the challenges and joys of being an artist and mom. In 2019, “Art After” had a successful gallery debut in Vancouver BC. The paintings keep coming. With four little boys, I’ll be continuing this project for a good long while. Hope you’ll enjoy following along.
Visit my Instagram to view individual pieces, insights, backstories and more on being an artist and motherhood.
Want to collaborate, host an Art After event, or schedule me for a talk/workshop? Get in touch!
About Art After
This series is my attempt to reconcile the tension that exists between my vital roles as artist and mother. Bridging the gap between creative aspirations and physical reality, I embrace the interruptions that typically hinder the creative process.
I create each 5x7 inch piece in one sitting, working without stopping until I am finished, or until I am interrupted. Often my stopping point is the moment I cannot possibly continue painting through the interruptions. At that point I stop working, and do not allow myself to revisit the piece. On the back of each painting I document the start time, the end time, and the interruption that forced me to stop. The duration of each painting ranges wildly, from under two minutes to over two hours. The subject matter is inspired by the scattered fragments of daily life with my children.
These small artworks, in their varying levels of success and completion, come together as a rich tapestry to represent not only the struggle, but also the beauty and triumph I experience as I continue to make art after motherhood. This work calls into question the supposed limitations placed on women after childbirth, and the notion that artists must choose between art and childrearing. It is a reminder of our power to break down the layers of separation that stand between where we are now, and where we want to be as both an artist and mother.
