This is a small acrylic painting of my dear friend Christin with her son. With this picture I wanted to show her, that in spite of her doubts and weaknesses she is a strong person and a great mother.
Sketches to explore the facial features.
The pose in the photo that I took of her reminded me very much of the classical paintings of Maria and Jesus, so I researched some of the classical poses used in icons. I tried some compositions and decided to use an off-centered pose with twisted torso but forward looking face, so I could simplify the features by keeping the likeness. Also this pose appears very strong and powerful to me.
Some process steps.
I used some symbolic patterns which appear in eastern Germany in some traditional techniques to decorate Easter Eggs. For example the combination of three triangles is s symbol for a family (father, mother, child) and a circle with triangles on its edge stands for protection. I think the symbolism suits very well the topic of motherhood.
In the end I'm very happy with the end result. For some people it might be too religious and symbolic and I had the same opinion first. But I made some decissions in the process because I thought it fits the meaning and finally I think it's my own interpretation of being a good mother.
Thank you for viewing!
