A Mother's Arms (2019)

"I was once told

that the most precious jewel

a mother can wear is the one

created by her child’s arms around her neck. Made from love."

For my Transmission series I wanted a painting celebrating pregnancy and motherhood so I made A Mother’s Arms around Obaatan Awaamu. It is the Adinkra symbol of maternal love and compassion that you can see on the character’s arm in gold color and litterally meaning « a mother’s warm embrace ».

 It is not to be mistaken for a tattoo here as in this painting it actually represents energy. An energy that is activated within a woman from the moment she becomes aware of her pregnancy and that will last until her last breath. That energy turns her arms into a canal that will carry safety, love and comfort to the baby as she wraps them around her belly, just like this woman is doing. Just like any mother-to-be would do.

This magic carries on after birth and all through life, everytime the mother carries, hugs or thinks of her child with love… Always praise and remember a mothers arms as the best and most important craddle that is.

Now let’s focus on that mysterious hand. Who does it belong to ?

Well, it is a hand that belongs to anybody around a mother. It is the child’s father’s, family members’, friends’, medical staff’s, social workers’, a boss’, a stranger’s on the bus or at the supermarket, everyone’s hand. The matter is that eventhough a mother’s arms possess one of the greatest energy that is, a mother’s arms still need support. Food for thought…

For my Transmission series I wanted a painting celebrating pregnancy and motherhood so I made A Mother’s Arms around Obaatan Awaamu. It is the Adinkra symbol of maternal love and compassion that you can see on the character’s arm in gold color and litterally meaning « a mother’s warm embrace ».

 It is not to be mistaken for a tattoo here as in this painting it actually represents energy. An energy that is activated within a woman from the moment she becomes aware of her pregnancy and that will last until her last breath. That energy turns her arms into a canal that will carry safety, love and comfort to the baby as she wraps them around her belly, just like this woman is doing. Just like any mother-to-be would do.

This magic carries on after birth and all through life, everytime the mother carries, hugs or thinks of her child with love… Always praise and remember a mothers arms as the best and most important craddle that is.

Now let’s focus on that mysterious hand. Who does it belong to ?

Well, it is a hand that belongs to anybody around a mother. It is the child’s father’s, family members’, friends’, medical staff’s, social workers’, a boss’, a stranger’s on the bus or at the supermarket, everyone’s hand. The matter is that eventhough a mother’s arms possess one of the greatest energy that is, a mother’s arms still need support. Food for thought…

« I was once told

that the most precious jewel

a mother can wear

 is the one created by her child’s arms around her neck. Made from love. »

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