I’m honored to be a part of the Riverviews 15th Annual Juried Art Show. The 54 works on view were chosen by the artist, Laura Pharis, and are a really lovely group of two and three-dimensional works of art. At the opening on Friday, November 3rd, Laura gave a great talk about the many purposes of art. This show will be up through December 7th. Voting for the People’s Choice Award will take place from Nov. 6th–30th. I hope you are able to stop in to view this exciting show!

Motherhood triggers emotions and memories inside us we forget we had. It makes us dig deep into old wounds to show up better for our kids. It is exhausting, painful, and overwhelming at times.

There were days I wept while I painted “Mama!” I had to take many long breaks. But I kept coming back to it because it helped me examine the things that broke me as a child and helped reframe my responses to my children. The baby’s expression of absolute anguish and need is felt by both the baby and mother. The two begin as one and slowly take shape as separate entities.

Since jumping back into painting last year, I’ve found new threads of healing. I had a baby eight months ago, and my (almost) daily art practice has been the best self-care. Many days I am only able to spend a few minutes on painting or drawing, but the act of showing up every day has helped me feel more whole.