Did you ever take a good hard look in the mirror? Well, I’ve done that for the past couple of weeks for a self-portrait exercise. That was the assignment. It turned out to not only be a test in humility but a humbling experience. I created one portrait in oil, one in acrylic and one generated in photoshop. Photoshop wins?
We see ourselves every day, but when was the last time you really lingered in front of a mirror? As I am getting older, it is getting harder and harder to see what is staring at back at me.
I have also been painting images of my mother, who is no longer here. Connecting myself to my mother through painting and observing her photo and wondering, ‘What was she thinking when this photo was snapped?’. What would life have been for her with a cell phone or an AI generator?
Is my painting of her really a self-portrait of myself? I see a similar nose and similar eyes, but my daughter has her smile.
Thinking of her particularly on this (almost) Mother’s Day. I remember as a child when Mother’s Day would come around. I wanted sooo desperately to buy her something beautiful or cook her an amazing breakfast. How was that going to happen when I was only five?
I figured it out. I found (stole) one of her pretty pink lipsticks and gift-wrapped-it. I then gave it (back) to her along with a “saltine cracker sandwich”. She played along with ooos and ahhhs and, “Thank you for my beautiful lipstick and yummy sandwich!” Later she would tell me the cracker sandwich was a little dry. Ha.
She was and still is a hard act to follow. She was overflowing with love for her family and especially her kids. My love for her overflows through my painting and thoughts of the past.
Try this. Take a look in the mirror and let me know if you see hints of your mother staring back. Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers who are with us and without us.
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