Monday, November 14, 2011

My mom was an Artist... Memorial Show 11-12-11










This is only the smallest sampling. My mom, Amira, created art seriously (the work was a serious endeavour, but the content was not always.) for over 4 decades. Her entire house was her studio-- stacks of painting, every surface was covered with sculpture, she was more prolific than I knew. My mom always wanted to show her work, but then she was always immersed in making more, so where was the time to do it all? Her wish was that her art not be thrown away-- I could never do that, but isn't that any Maker's greatest fear? Her dear friends organized this show and these pieces and more were released in to the world. People were so happy to take a piece home.
It was overwhelming to me.

I grew up and lived with all of this "art-making" my entire life, and it all seemed so pedestrian (in a way) to me -- didn't all of your moms collect everything for their projects? Didn't they paint doll heads blue? Didn't your moms save spent firework papers to be fashioned into wings for a Japanese-inspired Kachina doll? and maybe not one, but 15 creations? Your mom didn't carve EVERY mango skin from EVERY mango she ate into a face? Your mom didn't dry those faces on the dashboard of her Datsun?

Now that she is gone-- it is hitting me how unique her view of the world was and how she reacted to it-- How THAT has shaped me and how I make things. I wonder what the future will bring me. She really "dialed it up to 11" and that is why things seem so "quiet" in my life now. Things just seem beige where they used to be an electric blue pastel.

I have to say that we didn't even show the best stuff-- it is stashed away for now, waiting for some breathing space for me and my family.

Still breathing
JMB

7 comments:

connie said...

I am so very sorry for your loss! Sounds like your mom was an incredible woman who shared her creativity with you! I have a mother very much like yours. We are so fortunate to have creative mothers to look up to and to Love us! She will always be with you!

Denise said...

What an amazing memorial you were able to do for her! Just amazing!

Alison Glass said...

This is really beautiful. I feel that she would have loved this way of honoring her. Thinking of you often. Alison

Krysty Simons said...

Thank you for sharing your experience. I am framing some of her art this week. What was up with the pastel blue anyways? Was there a deeper meaning behind that color?

Rebecca Huffman said...

Yes, the cigarette box faces, the mango faces, the humping Kens, the pantyhose dolls, the anatomically correct lifesize dolls, the polka-dotted horses painted in my room and on the mailbox, paper plates, happy meal toy collecting...

emily ruth said...

what beautiful words, my friend <3
& what a wonderful woman your dear mom was...

Kristin said...

Wow- just amazing. What a wonderful legacy.