from the archives: meeting my mud mothers in the healing circle
addyeb.substack.com
in august 2021, i was commissioned to paint one of my largest works to date: two panels measuring 78 in x 98 in each. it took me until may of 2022 to start it, but i’m glad i waited until then to complete it; i couldn’t have had the experience i did creating it over two days without the transformative inner work Toni Cade Bambara’s novel The Salt Eaters has been leading me through both in and outside of the studio. the title of the piece references the role of the Mud Mothers in Bambara’s novel as well as Minnie’s observations about Velma’s willingness and desire for healing and wholeness. the following is a brief essay i’ve written about the piece that i hope will give viewers contextual insight into its creation from my perspective; it is my hope that sharing my undoing and narrative about the piece holds a welcoming space for others as they are faced with whatever conscious and subconscious reactions the painting surfaces within them; however, at the very least, it’s a note for my archives.
from the archives: meeting my mud mothers in the healing circle
from the archives: meeting my mud mothers in…
from the archives: meeting my mud mothers in the healing circle
in august 2021, i was commissioned to paint one of my largest works to date: two panels measuring 78 in x 98 in each. it took me until may of 2022 to start it, but i’m glad i waited until then to complete it; i couldn’t have had the experience i did creating it over two days without the transformative inner work Toni Cade Bambara’s novel The Salt Eaters has been leading me through both in and outside of the studio. the title of the piece references the role of the Mud Mothers in Bambara’s novel as well as Minnie’s observations about Velma’s willingness and desire for healing and wholeness. the following is a brief essay i’ve written about the piece that i hope will give viewers contextual insight into its creation from my perspective; it is my hope that sharing my undoing and narrative about the piece holds a welcoming space for others as they are faced with whatever conscious and subconscious reactions the painting surfaces within them; however, at the very least, it’s a note for my archives.