Motherhood

Acrylic, Charcoal and Chalk on Brown Paper, (Part 1: 100 x 180 cm, Part 2: 200 x 100 cm, Part 3: 100 x 96 cm).

£1500

To be a successful at any career pursuit in this world, there is a pressure on women to ‘act as men’ and separate – or even hide – their role as a mother in order to be taken seriously. Indeed motherhood is often seen as a detractor to a woman's value, particularly in the art world. This piece challenges that idea. Art should reflect life and motherhood happens to be a dominant part my life so this piece demonstrates that unashamedly.

With this work, three life-size images of a ten, twelve and fourteen year old, I ask the viewer to pause, step into the world of a mother - and sit for a while with these children who are just home from school, having kicked off their shoes (and in the case of the teenagers, found their phones).

The images are drawn with a strong black outline and painted with bold yet naïve brushstrokes purposely to contrast with the delicate detail of the faces, hands and feet which are depicted in charcoal and chalk. They should be hung together as a triptych.