Mom's Inspiration

I still dream about my mom. Eight years after she passed away, one of those dreams woke me at 5 a.m., and this painting came out of it.

She always encouraged my siblings' and my creativity. When I was a teenager, she taught me calligraphy, and I fell in love with it. Looking back, I realize it wasn't only the art of making letters I loved. It was the precious time it gave us together, bonding over making art. That's a big part of why it's stayed so deeply engrained in me.

That early spark eventually changed the direction of my life. Instead of following what seemed like a path toward factory work, I landed a job at Hallmark Cards in the lettering department and then worked for several other greeting card companies. From there, my creative career grew to include professional art, commercial design, and videography.

As a young woman, my mom was artistically gifted and earned a college scholarship for fashion design. But in the 1950s and '60s, pursuing college and an art career was not exactly an expected path for women. She chose marriage and raised five children instead, but her creativity never left her.

Mom was always drawing, singing, giving us fun doodling prompts, and encouraging our imaginations. She cheered on our goofy, pun-filled little plays on the makeshift stage in the basement, sitting through every one with enthusiasm and positive feedback.

She also had a sharp sense of humor and could crack herself up with irreverent jokes and spontaneous silly stunts. I definitely inherited her love of a good pun. When me and my siblings got older, we would all go out dancing together with friends and always had a blast.

One of my favorite memories is when she surprised us during a backyard volleyball game by spraying us down with the garden hose. She had turned the water on full blast in the front yard, then dragged the hose all the way through the house to the back door to reach us. She knew it meant mopping up water inside the house, but surprising us and hearing us scream-laugh was worth it. 😂

Looking back, I realize my creative life began with those seemingly small moments, from a mom who encouraged her children to draw, imagine, experiment, and make things (including a mess) simply because it was fun. After I finished this painting, I realized it held two sides of her. 

The elegant, sweeping calligraphy marks feel like her natural creativity and grace. The fine-line squares, dots, and geometric shapes peeling off those flourishes feel like her irreverent humor and the layered complications of raising five kids, and I've wondered what might have been if she'd gone to art school. They balance each other and remain a cohesive force of energy, the way she was.

This painting is a tribute to Mom (Marianne), to her creativity and sacrifices, and to the life path she helped me discover long before I knew where it would lead.

Original Painting:

9” x 12”

Pen and ink, Watercolor on Watercolor Paper