Kerry Stammers- ‘Maternal Nest’ painting
As part of our ongoing series with Procreate Project, MAMA: mothers are making art announces new works and texts.
According to Kerry, the painting “represents the nesting instinct in pregnancy and the rediscovery of creative ‘playtime’. The background foliage of the nest which is painted are the flowers from my mothers garden where I grew up. Laid on top are the fresh flowers from my own garden as I strive to provide a protective, inspiring enviroment for my son. Hidden amongst the foliage is an old tea set, it is like a prop from my childhood where stories and games were created.”
See also, Barefootbabysteps – ‘Painting with nature’
essentially a childhood pastime, a little hobby to while away the hours in my parents beautiful garden in the Suffolk countryside, It would start with an outdoor adventure,foraging little treasures along the way. At any given moment the shape of a flower or leaf or twig even, would remind me of an animal or character or story. I would stop in my tracks and let a picture organically form on the ground/ tree stump below. There was always something sad yet magical about leaving a little creation behind to get blown away by the wind, or snuffled by a passing hedgehog or squirrel, photography allows me to capture that moment when everything is fresh and newly formed before its componants get whisked back into the circle of life.
Kerry hope the pictures, (along with her recent creations), inspire children and adults alike to look at the world around them with new eyes: explore the outdoors, forage for earthy treasures and unleash their imagination to create new stories and adventures.
More about Kerry and her creations here [LINK]
See new video from Procreate Project’s founder:
Read the accompanying essay this month by Jenny N. “Reflections on Maternal Thinking” here [LINK]. Excerpt below:
In her book, Maternal Thinking, Sara Ruddick defines what she understands to be the concept by this same name. It should be noted that this definition has a social, historical, and cultural context. The vision of maternal thinking, as she perceives it, has come out of our notions of what type of person mothers should be and what role they play in our society. Ruddick states: “The agents of maternal practice, acting in response to the demands of their children, acquire a conceptual scheme – a vocabulary and logic of connections – through which they order and express the values of their practice” (Ruddick 1989). Maternal thinking, she goes on to say, is guided by a mother’s interest in their child’s preservation, growth, and acceptability. Preservation begins whenever the mother reasonably believes her child to be a viable being and continues on through their first years of life. The mother is consumed with protecting her baby during these vulnerable years. Growth occurs following these first few years, when the mother is still entrusted with the child’s protection, but now wishes to see the child grow physically, emotionally, intellectually, and socially. Acceptability refers to a mother’s desire to mold her child into the type of person that is socially accepted. A reflection no doubt of what we value in our society, I once heard a mother remark on the playground, “Why would they not want their kid to be smart and athletic?” More.