Dead Mothers (2008 - )
"Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality." Emily Dickinson
People do not pass away. They die and then they stay. Naomi Shihab Nye
I spent seven months living my life to help my mother have the most comfortable death possible. Anguish compelled me to capture the haunting memories of my mother's final days and hours, as seen in a few of the pictures below.
But this is not how Charlotte would want to be remembered.
Rather...
Through public contributions of source photographs and stories, Dead Mothers, a body of work in process, is, respectfully, a celebratory portrayal of the vitality and fullness of the lives of mothers loved and missed.
Mom 1922, oil on printed newspaper, 24 x 16 inches
Mom 1926, oil on printed newspaper, 24 x 16 inches
Mom 1942, monotype, 18 x 16 inches
Mom 1950, 2012, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 60 inches
Dad 1944 with his WWII dental appliance inventions made from crashed plane debris, 2010, acrylic on mylar, each panel 80 x 42 inches
Family at the Beach 1955, oil on printed newspaper, 24 x 32 inches
Mom 1969, 2020, oil on linen, 72 x 30 inches
Mom 2008, 2016, oil on canvas, 14 x 18 inches
Leonard (Step-Dad) 2008, 2019, ink on paper, 24 x 16 inches
Mom and Dad Dancing in the Kitchen 2008, 2009, oil on mylar, 84 x 42 inches
Mom Me 2008, 2009, oil on yupo paper, 22 x 30 inches
Mom Sleeping 2008, 2009, oil and conte on canvas, 48 x 36 inches
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, 2008, oil on paper, 42 x 66 inches