‘I started this body of work, which is still in its early stages and is an ongoing concern for me, after a 'barren' few years spent in the exhausting struggle of caring for two babies. Physically I opened out by pushing the drawing outwards. The first few years of motherhood felt closed in, details of childcare became overwhelming. Having organised my time to do the MA and found a studio, I was encouraged to enlarge the image, to make bold statements. It seemed to me that being a 'good' mother in everyday life isn't about being dramatic and expressive, it isn't about shouting and crying out about the frustration and the inner violence. If these feelings are expressed, if a mother complains and cries out, she can't cope — she's a 'bad' mother. So I began by looking at the disruption to my assumed notions of the sexuality of motherhood.’
[LESS]‘I started this body of work, which is still in its early stages and is an ongoing concern for me, after a 'barren' few years spent in the exhausting struggle of caring for two babies. Physically I opened out by pushing the drawing outwards. The first few years of motherhood felt closed in, details of childcare became overwhelming. Having organised my time to do the MA and found a studio, I was encouraged to enlarge the image, to make bold statements. It seemed to me that being a 'good' mother in everyday life isn't about being dramatic and expressive, it isn't about shouting and crying out about the frustration and the inner violence. If these feelings are expressed, if a mother complains and cries out, she can't cope — she's a 'bad' mother. So I began by looking at the disruption to my assumed notions of the sexuality of motherhood.’