Monday Art Salon - May 11, 2015

“I Think They Are Sleeping” - mixed media on paper, 9 x 11 (unframed)

Yesterday was Mother’s Day.  And I received the most beautiful bouquet of flowers from my daughter who lives far away.  The flowers arrived as stems still in the bud stage…even the colors of the flowers were hidden.  Over the course of the day, each flower slowly opened, revealing the colors (and fragrance) hidden inside.  It was almost as if the stems were sleeping, and slowly awakened over time.  It was the most remarkable bouquet - almost like performance art.  I was mesmerized.

We’re preparing for a big move this month, relocating to another state and a new adventure.  Much of our time now is spent figuring out which items to take and which items to leave behind.  So yesterday we sorted though some boxes and bins of things we hadn’t even looked at in years.  You know the stuff - every piece of prose and poetry you children ever wrote, every piece of art, every book they ever owned and the toys they loved too much to part with but had outgrown long ago.  Seeing all of these snapshots of our children’s lives in one afternoon was a bit like watching the flowers bloom over the course of a day - like a time lapse film of the growth of a human.  And I realized the experience of watching our children bloom over the last three decades was surely the most amazing performance art on earth.

It was a new “aha moment” for me.  Seeing the flowers blooming and our children’s lives displayed over time simultaneously was both surreal and lovely.  Motherhood encompasses my greatest joys, my biggest worries and my deepest fears.  It is high adventure, maddening frustration and piles of love all rolled into one.  And it is a front row seat at the best show of all.

This piece is available.  Currently unframed.  Inquiries: imajenation@gmail.com