Reflections on "Mother & Child"

This week I have started work on a painting commissioned by The Lake County Haven to commemorate their 20 years of service to the community. I was thrilled to be asked to do the piece and I knew immediately that I wanted to paint a mother and child. I have started researching the theme and looked to two of my favorite artists, Picasso and Cassat, to explore their interpretations of the subject. Most of the works I found showed the mother lovingly embracing her child, bathing her child or reading to her child. These are both very lovely images, serene and tender.

"Sometimes you have to discover what

you don't want to paint before you can
move forward on a piece."

But I want to do something different for this piece. I want my painting to express the joy of motherhood, while still capturing a tender moment between a mother and child. I think back to my own childhood, and the experiences I have had with my own children...eureka!...time to start sketching!