Was Your Mother An Artist?

I don’t often write about personal things on this blog, but I was thinking about how one turns into whatever it is one becomes, and the influences and drives that make choose a certain direction.

I come from a non artistic home, or more accurately - I come from a home that deals with” more serious” matters - science that is, and that although appreciates art - all good artist are obviously from out of the family.

Very little credit was given the women of the family who could knitt sew and embroider beautifully - non of their tallents were even thought of as tallents, though from my point of view - I find it hard to see how that was missed.

One of my strongest childhood memories was sitting and watching my mother draw brown charcoal drawings of trees.

Of course she denies them being any good and did so at the time, and she never gave herself any credit or recognized her talent as an ability to be reckoned with or recognized in any way.

Although I had a very obvious inclination to anything art and craft from a very young age - the trend of paying no notice or giving no importance to that kind of talent and ability continued - but still, I find myself an artist today and some 20 years after becoming one, am still trying to prove the viability of my abilities to my family.

Eva Lake on the other hand says of her mother “She could paint anything”. I wonder how different an experience it was growing up with artistic talent in a home that recognized the viability and importance of such talent, than the experience I had.

I wonder if Eva is more confident with her work, or if the kind of work she does is a direct result of her mothers influence - just as I am sure mine is to.

I wish I could see my mothers trees again. I used to think they were beautiful.