4" X 6" acrylic
Teacup
16" X 20" acrylic on canvas
Mother16" X 20" oil on canvas
This is a series of paintings I created in the process of dealing with my mother's illness, death and the grief that naturally followed. I painted "Mary with Cat" for her because she had a big orange cat named "Barney" who meant the world to her. "Teacup" came with the news of her death, and reflects the many strange dimensions of my grief in that moment. I painted "Mother" on the one year anniversary of her death, and captures my reconciliation with the reality of her passing, and the essence of good motherhood that she passed on to me. Mary the mother of Jesus shows up in these paintings in part because my mother was Catholic and I attended Catholic schools, but also because when I think of my mother, I seem to naturally call up the image of Mary. It must be a Catholic thing, I don't know...
