Portrait of My Mother

My mother worked 3 jobs supporting me and the rest of the household after her divorce. As a result, she was rarely home. Our time together often consisted of her at her desk writing in her journal, and me lying on the floor reading or drawing. I became more familiar with the sight of her feet than her face. Over the years my mother had repeatedly asked me to make her a portrait. Dutiful daughter as I was, I eventually complied with her request in 2017. These bony, bunion extremities tell my mother’s story of hardship, vanity, and sacrifice. It also gave me a rare occasion to touch and pamper the feet that had raised me and shown me how to stand tall in a world where you are often expected to bend.