The Strong Mothers Project

I got such enjoyment out of creating the above mother-baby figure study for Mother's Day this year. I could feel the warmth and love as I was painting it, as if I were holding my own child.

Hannah and Ean at the beach

Therefore, I've decided to paint a dedicated collection of figure studies depicting mothers/mothers and children. I am in awe of the strength it takes - physically, emotionally and mentally - to raise a child, but also the necessary softness. From this place of strength and softness together, I will be launching The Strong Mothers Project this fall (2018). I welcome participation from all mothers and can't wait to engage their incredible power!!

My hope is to get lots of moms involved and excited, no matter your child's age (maybe they're an adult)! While I have a number of models already, I'd love to welcome anyone else who feels passionate about the interplay of strength and softness that comes with motherhood.

Here are the two ways to get involved:

1. Become a work of art - Send me a photo of you/you and your child that you cherish from which I can paint (see example photo of Ean and me below). You can choose the size of the painting, and you'll receive an automatic 20% off my standard commission pricing, as well as free shipping, which could be a $250+ value if you go really big!

2. Sponsor the project - As a Paint Sponsor, you're monetary support will enable me to purchase paint and canvases to create this collection.

For $50, you will receive the following benefits:

-Every time I post or talk about the project, I will mention/list (and tag/link to) my sponsors

-Each sponsor will receive 1 dedicated IG post, 1 dedicated Fbook post (not a duplicate of IG post), and 3 separate dedicated IG story posts between now and the end of 2018

-Each sponsor will have the opportunity to guest blog on my website if you so choose with links to your business or whatever you want

-I will highlight each sponsor within one of my email newsletters

Please let me know what questions I can answer, and I hope something sparks your interest! I'd love to have all of you join the project! Use this link to send me questions, let me know you're IN, and get painting prices.

Dispatches From Arts Letters & Numbers ~ Friday & Saturday

If Thursday was paint paint paint, Friday was no painting whatsoever. Still feeling unsure of my themes and how my disparate painting styles would form a cohesive idea, I napped on it a bit and then jumped into helping out in the kitchen in preparation for a swing concert being held at the house Friday evening.

Frida and I made potato birds nests (easier said than done...peel and spiralize potatoes and sweet potatoes, saute in olive oil, form into tiny "nests" on parchment lined muffin tins, take out when just crispy but not burnt) with mushroom compote and homemade pesto topping. They turned out really yummy, and with a spiralizer, would be easy to replicate (although not quickly).

The swing/jazz band that came to play was really fun and brought a following of swing dancers with them. A true party atmosphere with at least 30 people at any given time. I listened and hung out for a while but when I headed up to bed at 11pm, the party was still going strong!

Saturday morning saw a house so full of people that all three bathrooms seemed to be continually occupied. Some of the band members and friends of the other residents had spent the night (have no idea where!) and we were bursting at the seams with friendly morning chatter over bacon and coffee.

As people started to dissipate throughout the morning, I set up my painting camp in the kitchen. My plan was to lay down some neutral base tones of grey and white with a palette knife, on which I would layer my landscape paintings (assuming it might be warm enough to paint outside, which it was not).

With the first pass though, I liked the base layer so much that I forced myself to stop there (sometimes knowing when to stop is so difficult; Should I keep going? I don't know, I like it now. But maybe it could be better? But what if you mess it up? etc etc etc).

So as I created base after base, they each became slightly more of their own abstract landscape painting with added details and more neutral colors (think tan, black and olive). Finally something was resonating!!

I came into the week thinking about muted landscapes...and that's exactly where I ended up. But not in the way I thought I would get there. I had a vision of painting outdoors, creating detailed landscapes and then covering them up with soft thin layers of watery whites and greys to create a misty abstraction. When in fact, I needed a more direct approach: start with a limited color palette, the broad sweeps of a palette knife (as opposed to tiny brushstrokes), and a freedom of form to push the paint around with the movement of my hand, arm and whole body.

So is there where I end up? Not quite....