Seeing My Mother in a New Light
I haven't seen my Mother in person since Christmas 2019. However, I speak to her frequently. And for the last 7 years I have been her health care advocate. Because Mom is 87, this entails many conversations, doctors visits I attend via phone, procedures and hospitalizations. We live 370 miles apart.
Recently I have been thinking about her more. Like many of us, I can see an end to these physical separations because of vaccinations. In April I am taking her to the beach for a mini vacation. As is the norm, whatever is in the back of my mind somehow seeps into my art. Recently I decided to try painting larger abstract portraits and figures. (I've previously made five smaller intuitive portraits.) This time I used a photo of my Mom as a teen for reference. I thought I chose it because I liked the tilt of her head and the gaze. It took three or four full passes to capture that tilt of the head with the left cheek past the shoulder and the body partially off the board. Finally, I stopped looking at the photo and allowed my creativity room to breathe. The amount of texture I had built into the the painting from the beginning offered so many possibilities at this stage.
Now - of course her hair has never been these colors nor does she have green lips or smudges and grime all over her. But she grew up on a working farm in Nebraska with three sisters where she lived and breathed the mid-western work ethic. Later, at the age of 23 she moved from Nebraska to "the land of opportunity" - California- with dad and three young children in tow later to become four. And despite having literally nothing in terms of a job or savings she and my dad made it work.
Growing up I recall mom always working. In my school cafeteria, babysitting neighborhood children, taking in ironing, cooking, and making special treats for my siblings and I. Treats like when you stand a Barbie doll in an angel food cake and cover the cake and bodice w/icing to make a beautiful gown. Or those big sugar eggs w/a peephole with easter scenes inside made with cake decorating tools and a bag of icing. Or sewing a new dress for my first day of school. Oh, and even re-arranging the furniture in our living room for the umpteenth time because we couldn't afford new stuff and she needed to create a new look, a new view.
It took me a long time to recognize that Moms creations represented more than being a loving mother. It allowed her to be recognized and seen in a broader way. It was her own creative expression. When you first immerse yourself in the artistic world you spend a lot of time learning how to see. Really see what is in front of you. I regret that it took me so long to see this added dimension in my mother and also grateful that learning to paint and choosing this photo allowed me to appreciate her on a deeper level. I realize now that all of the color and grit and texture in my painting isn't abstraction. It is my loving and beloved Mother, Betty Anderson.
An early Happy Mothers Day to all Mothers that sometimes feel misunderstood and invisible.
Above - Original photo. Second pass. Three close ups. Mom and I a few years ago.
Lori Rhodes is a contemporary abstract artist with studio practices in California and Oregon. You an see her body of work here and follow her on IG here.
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