On Being a Mother and an Artist

Once upon a time I had a cute little studio/box room in our house. When our little baby came along, I kept it for a while, but when it was time for baby to have his own room I was shipped out to the garage to paint between the beer fridge and lawn mower (sob). Seriously though, I have tried so hard to keep going with my painting - even buying a nice big playpen to put next to my easel (see below!) because obviously baby was going to be absolutely fine playing next to me while I painted, not needing me at all...

It's really, really tricky to juggle motherhood and art. To be honest, the last thing I felt like doing in the sleep deprived first ten months (yes, ten!!) was putting paint to canvas. Even getting dressed felt like an effort. The best times I found to draw were when he was sleeping...but he has only just started sleeping in his cot (at 13 months). Before that I pushed the pram back and forth with one hand and drew with the other.

This blog is going to be about how I juggle my beloved little being and the relentless pull to create.