Mother & Child

Figurative

I came from Cuba to America as a refugee in 1970. As a new teenager in America, oil painting became my escape from the feeling of not belonging. Later, as a physician and mother, I have used art as a way to remember places, educate patients, share the joy of creating with my daughters, and process grief and loss.

This ongoing series is a meditation on the Mother-Child bond. I am fortunate to have experienced so far the power of four generations of women in my family. We have all been affected directly or indirectly by either being immigrants or related to one. We have endured separations, too much and not enough parenting with its consequences. Everyone had to work to survive. This process has added richness, complexity, joy, sadness, and loss within our mother-child bonds. The paintings address our sense of otherness, moments of tenderness, silent dialogues, unspoken agreements, illness, and ultimately the embracing of it all.