Carrie Jadus

Are You my Mother?

Statement:
In 2015, I was invited to participate in a collaboration called, The Motherhood Project. It was an opportunity to create work that focused on the significance of motherhood in our society. I created a study of 'Are you my Mother?' and the piece hung in my studio for over a year. During that time, I took note of the engaging and controversial conversations it would spark. It’s interesting how art has a way of revealing more about the viewer’s perspective than the artist’s, and the amalgamation of the fetus with the one hundred-dollar bill together evoked a range of emotional reactions and interpretations. In 2017, the opportunity arose for me to create a mural for the ArtsXchange in the Warehouse Arts District in coordination with its grand opening—or “birth”. I immediately knew that this was the image I wanted to use, and 'Are you my Mother?' was born.

In my work I typically have a significant or moving experience that naturally translates into a mental image (i.e. experience→image). I immediately sketch it out, and eventually it manifests into a finished painting. I try to seize moments of what I believe it means to be human, and attempt to render that in my work. On rare occasion, this process works in reverse (i.e. image→realization). When I am relaxed and open—suddenly and seemingly without suggestion—an image sometimes comes to me. I consider these ethereal visions. They are unmistakably clear, powerful and impossible for me to ignore until they are transferred into a physical form. 'Are you my Mother?' is an image such as this. I am glad to have had the opportunity to create this piece in a public space where it may evoke contemplation and conversation.

Little Miss Sisyphus - 2015