Description

I named this piece after my mother, her indigenous name was “Che’kee”. This painting is truly a piece of my heart. Probably more than any piece of artwork I have done before. I will get a little bit vulnerable here and share some of my soul.

I just lost my mother in 2018 to stage 4 Cancer that seemed to come out of nowhere. If i’m being perfectly honest……i’m devastated. I cannot put into words how much I loved my mother. I was probably the definition of a momma’s boy. When she passed, I was tormented with feelings of guilt of maybe not doing enough….not spending enough time with her. Not being there at the moment she left. So I buried my feelings, not really aware I was doing it. To this day i’m still learning how to deal with my grief, but one thing I have learned Is that grief doesn’t let you pass over it, it ends up coming out in some form.

Starting out I didn’t have a clear direction on this piece. As I added paint and design to this canvas I became more and more invested in it. I was bringing it with me to work on while at the Silver Moon gallery, and I didn’t notice early on that I was getting increasingly emotional. Then one day at the gallery I was painting and started to tear up. As time went on I couldn’t hold my tears back even as customers were entering the gallery, this now was happening every time I worked on the painting. I had no idea why this was happening to me. One day at the gallery it happened again, and I had this overwhelming urge to call my dad…..I needed comfort…..After the call it dawned on me, and I came to the realization that I was painting my mother cradling her son…..and being a protection for him, forming that bond.

When I completed this piece of my heart, I felt completely emotionally drained. I think it was healing for me, what I couldn’t express in words. When I look at it now, It reminds me of that connection I have with my babies, and hope I can pass that legacy on from my mom.