The Nursing Collection

The Nursing Collection

Within 2 weeks of my daughter being born, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. The focus of my life that year was  nursing and nurturing my daughter, and being  with my mother as much as possible.

That time in my life influenced and molded my artistic style. I wanted to capture the love I felt for both my mother and daughter and relate the strong bonds we build through love and nurturing relationships.

The symbol of the breast and what it means to a woman, was very much on my mind during his time.

While nursing my daughter, nourishing her from my body, I became obsessed with that look she gave me while nursing. Looking up at me with pure love, honesty, calmness and the faith in me to give her what she needs.

I started sketching while nursing, trying to capture that look, that feeling..

After awhile those sketches turned into the drawings and the paintings in this collection.

My spiritual and creative connection to the spiral  started with these paintings. The movement and symbol were meditative. Each spiral and color brought me peace and serenity. The spiral represents birth, life and death. The never ending love of a parent for their child. Spirals are femininity; the cycles of womanhood.

This painting is very big, 168cm*200cm. I broke up that perfect moment into lots of spirals.  When standing close you get lost in the abstract- spirals and color. But as you step back, the picture becomes more clear and focused.

This painting is the last in the series. It was painted during the time my daughter was self -weaning, and finished after she had stopped.

It is one spiral: starting  at its center , and painted in a spiral movement. I wanted to give her her own spiral. It starts with us together, and our special bond…but moves out and off the canvas, growing as she grows….

For more paintings and drawings in this collection see the "Gallery"

I now paint and draw these moments for other mothers. Capturing that look, and that feeling…..