Melting the fear away
Posted on | January 19, 2012 | 6 Comments
Lori Joy Smith is an artist and illustrator. She lives in Charlottetown PEI with her husband, 2 daughters and 2 kitties.
While I pregnant with my first baby I was so full of uncertainties. I had no idea what to expect from motherhood. I was worried whether I would be able to handle all that it would throw at me, whether I would still have time for art. I was pretty much freaking out.
In the last weeks of my pregnancy I started working non-stop on this painting. I had been painting lots of tiny little monster paintings (3″x4″) and decided I wanted to do something different, something big. In my mind I thought this might be the last I would be painting in months… maybe years! This painting really helped me in those anxiety filled last days, it helped me focus, it grounded me. I think it helped me find the joy and love I was feeling about everything deep down, it melted the fear away.
The little monsters are saying names we were thinking of naming our baby. I finished it and my daughter was born a few days later (12 days late mind you!).
My worries about losing art couldn’t have been more unfounded… as most worries are. Not only did I have time to paint and work, I was bursting with love and creativity like I never knew existed. I even started working with new materials.
I made these pieces from some out grown baby clothes I couldn’t bear to part with. These pieces started me on a whole new path with my art. I love working with found fabric and embroideries and making all sorts of things. I’ve done many fabric portraits over the years since these first pieces, and I have to say they are the things I love working on the most. I would have never started them without being a mom, something that I was so fearful would stop my making art, only made it (and everything else) so much better.
To see more of Lori’s illustration and fabric work (and to find out the name she finally picked[!]), visit her website.
PS: I own the monster wedding piece!
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January 19th, 2012 @ 7:16 am
Great post Lori. You artwork is beautiful!
January 19th, 2012 @ 9:25 am
Love your story and your art. Thanks for sharing with Jana and her blog friends.
January 19th, 2012 @ 12:05 pm
Such beautiful work, and an inspirational story!
Jana – post a pic of that monster wedding piece?!
January 19th, 2012 @ 1:24 pm
Good idea Sarah!
January 19th, 2012 @ 2:29 pm
I own the green girl piece! It’s perfect.
January 19th, 2012 @ 7:28 pm
I am the lucky owner of one of your early cloth pieces as well and it has always been one of my very favourite things in our house, thank you for all your creative awesomeness!