Finding time and new work

This week’s been tough. There have been plenty of distractions from painting. My son is teething and has just entered the 4 month sleep regression. Our washing machine and oven both died within days. Life pressed against my patience, and cut off all and any opportunity to be creative.

But then something else happened. I saw my pin officially on the Global map of ARIM artists and that made me feel magic. And, I joined a group called Milan Art and signed up for an online course to improve my acrylic techniques and just like that, I was reinvigorated and have just managed to paint a picture whilst my boy had a nap.

‘Daydreaming while my son sleeps (instead of doing the washing up)’, was a lovely experiment in colour. I’m really enjoying painting with a limited palette and meditating on blue, pink and yellow with accents of black, white and gold. I actually started off with the background as an abstract piece, before deciding that it needed something else, and just like that, a daydreaming mother appeared amongst the colour.

ARIM First Piece

It’s not quite finished, but it’s nearly there. My first piece for my Artist in Residence in Motherhood project.

I thought a good starting place would be a self portrait. It captures me as I feel at this time. A mother, full of creation, yet hollow in missing my own parents. Acrylics on paper.

I’m looking forward to getting this tidied up and finished. Nonetheless, in the spirut of sharing imperfect pieces, it feels right to share it now, and I’ll be sharing my website and Insta publicly too. Let the accountability begin.

This came naturally to me. I’d love to try something like this on a larger scale, with lots of scope for rich colour and texture.