Do512 Family Featured Babymaker, Claire from M.I.L.K., helps us realize that as moms, we are artists. Read her comparison and check out her grandmother’s art, which will be on display from Mar. 29 – Apr. 13 at the Link & Pin Gallery (her mother’s gallery). Now, those are some moms we’d like to know.

_______________________________________________________________________________

To me, motherhood is an art. It is an expression of our innermost self. An artist puts his or her experiences, thoughts and desires onto canvas, molds it into clay or, these days, spray paints it onto the side of a building. And so does a mother. For good or bad, we paint who we are onto our children from the moment we meet them. Like art, there is no way to know we are doing it correctly. There is no way to know exactly how things will turn out. Sure, we know instantly when we see terrible art and we are blown away when we see great art. But mostly it is subjective, depending on the day, the light and the beholder. And so goes parenting. We can read books, take classes, and study for years to become “better” parents. And hopefully our technique will improve. But who we are cannot and should not be changed. That is what makes each and every one of our children a unique work of art.

In the beginning of motherhood, there is so much work to be done. We spend countless hours applying the paint to canvas, letting it dry, seeing what works and what doesn’t. And then we add another layer and another…until the broad strokes are finished and it’s on to the smaller, finer details. Every time we look at this work in progress, we realize it is something different than it was yesterday. The vision we started with all of those years ago isn’t what we see in front of us. Somehow along the way, the art began creating itself and we’re just there to help it along.

Then one day we realize our part is done. The painting is not finished, because it will never truly be finished, but it is time to let the world have it. We sit back and look at this thing we have created, and are stunned. Because not only is it more beautiful than anything we ever dreamed it would be, we simply cannot believe that it came from us.

________________

I was inspired to write this by my grandmother, the true artist in my life, who has been creating beauty on canvas and other media since childhood. And also, by my mother, who at 60 years old, decided to fulfill her dream of opening an art gallery. I am incredibly proud that they are teaming up for a special event this weekend to celebrate my grandmother’s 89th birthday with an art opening that offers a look at her entire life’s work.

“Journey: a Retrospective of the Art of Clara Foster Newby” will be on display at the Link & Pin Gallery, 2235 East 6th Suite 102 beginning with an opening reception, Saturday, March 29, 4-8pm. Sunday, March 30, 2-5 p.m., is Newby’s birthday party. She will be 89 on March 31. Her works will be on display through April 13, 2014.