Thursday, January 12, 2012

a mother's work

winter barn
I really enjoyed the discussion that came out of my last post. I think it leads very nicely into sharing a little bit about the creative work my mother does today. She is still a nursery school teacher throughout most of the year, but when she has time off she comes to us... and her barn down the road, which is shown above in all its winter glory (not this snow-less one, I'm afraid). I've shared about it countless times, but for anyone new to maya*made, I think you'll enjoy grabbing a cup of tea and checking out the photos and links over at flickr barn set or reading through the barn archives. The barn is the first home that she has ever owned. Her dream had always been to live in her very own studio.  After years of renting tiny places and having little room for her collections and creative space, this barn became her biggest and greatest canvas over the past four years. So when I spoke about how we can use our homes as our galleries and studios, my mother's journey was at the forefront of my mind. She doesn't have small children surrounding her (at home,at least) anymore. There is finally a little time to actually make art. I've been trying to get her to document her mixed media work and bricolage diy projects for some time, but in the mean time here are a couple of pieces I shot recently. They were created (mostly) this summer in and around grandchildren. I placed them on her stairwell for display. The crew of puppets above seemed like a supportive audience. (That monkey on the right was mine when I was little!)
stairwell at the barn
Not surprisingly, found materials are her constant muse.
mother's mixed media 2
my mother's mixed media
my mother's mixed media 3
my mother's mixed media 4
I'm in love with each of them and marvel at the ease she has with assembling odd bits and bringing them to life. As you can probably see, I am her biggest fan and loudest cheerleader. And isn't that what we all might hope for as we creatively raise our children?
*************
Pin It

14 comments:

  1. oh maya,
    i'm sooo in love with that barn...i just can't get enough pictures of it...it is so lovely...sometimes i grab a cup of tea, look at the photos and start dreaming

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your mother is a true artist--giving life to her creations. And how great to have the space to create.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I bet I'd like talking to your mom! I connect with the idea of delay, I guess. Your mom wanted this space for so long, and finally, finally she has it. I do feel like that's a big part of being a parent--things come sequentially, not all at once, and there's a lot of waiting and putting off. I love that your mom has her space after all this time--it sort of gives hope to all us patiently waiting moms out here. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think thats cool that she finds joy in repurposing items that will bring joy to others. I really enjoy that theme.

    My mother is much the same. She has always encouraged me to find things I LOVE to do and find new ways to express myself through those hobbies. I have several now!

    ReplyDelete
  5. her artwork is so intriguing. What a great folk artist! Beautifully display.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love your mother's artwork. I think that taking the time to be creative is one of the biggest gifts we can make to our children (and that of course goes for mothers and fathers equally)

    You know what, I had the exact same ape when I was little, in Sweden!

    OT: It's been a while that I cannot see your whole posts in Google Reader, just the first lines. Would it be possible to fix that? It is a bit annoying to have to open each post to read it.

    ReplyDelete
  7. This Rakshabandhan, gift something to your siblings that reflects the true affection and love you hold for them. The Designer Rakhi you gift them is the symbol of the immortal unity of the two hearts, the flowers are the silent communicators of your warmth to them. That’s the magical touch you can have for your Rakhi special gifts, and just a click onto www.rakhiworldwide.com/rakhi_usa_product_worldwide.asp will let you get them in flash to all over USA.

    ReplyDelete
  8. How lucky you are to have such an amazing mom! Clearly she has raised an equally amazing daughter! Have a great weekend

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love your Mom's work. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love posts about the barn. Your mother's work is beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  11. your mothers work is absolutely gorgeous! please tell her i said so.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I am reading this post again, again. I can SO relate to it, it really touches me! Thanks so much! And I love your mothers art, so sweet to share it with us!

    ReplyDelete