The inspiration for this piece came from a memory of my childhood. When my sister and I were in elementary school my mom would often be a recess monitor. When the bell would ring for recess to be over, we would become sad to leave our mom and sulk over to say goodbye until the day was over. Aiming to raise our spirits, my mom would reapply her signature sparkly pink lipgloss and plant a kiss on the top of our hands saying, "now you have a kiss from me to carry you through the rest of the day. I felt as though this memory encapsulated my mother and I's relationship in many ways and thus wanted to create a self portrait reflecting the influence of my mother on my life. The hand in the foreground evidently represents my own with a kiss from my mother planted on it. The hand holds a pink peony, my mom's favorite plant and one that grows in the front of our house each summer during the week of my birthday. The Monarch butterfly resting on the flower represents the strength and perseverance of my mother as well as her place in my life as a living guardian angel. This piece contains many layers of symbolism pertaining to my life and my mother's influence on me.
Conceptual Self Portrait
Acrylic on canvas
April 2020