Motherforce

Oil on panel. The portrait is ostensibly of my sister, made after the birth of her first child. In rendering her likeness, I intentionally played up the resemblance she bears to our late mother and late maternal grandmother. The painting is an homage to the strong women in our matrilineal line who came before us and shaped us—women whose legacy she joins and carries on in becoming a mother herself. My familial connection to the subjects adds a personal significance to the painting for myself, of course, but my intention for the piece also carries a broader meaning. The painting’s title, “Motherforce,” does not include my sister’s name or any allusion to a specific identity. To almost any viewer, she will be an anonymous unknown subject. As such, she stands more broadly as a representative of women in general, and the painting aims to evoke and recognize women’s unsung strength.