Mamma, In the Meantime

This series depicts an aging woman with signs of dementia, who wishes to reclaim a childhood lost, or never had. When my mother, Elia, moved in with me over four years ago at age ninety-one, I took sole responsibility for being her full-time care-giver. At the same time, to keep her active, and for me to stay creative, I started to include her in my art practices of painting and photography. With this collaboration, our bond became more than care-giver/patient, artist/model, or even as mother/son. It transcended beyond the realm of co-existing in the physical space and became a collective discovery for us as family, and also as people. My making of art has never been more meaningfully profound as with this particular series. When the story-telling leaves the head and enters the gut, you must acknowledge it as something very special.