May arrived and left with all its promises. Flowers bloomed despite the world's chaos, reminding me that life persists regardless of human wreckage. This month also marked my second Mother's Day as a mom—a special day where I could stop a bit and just be grateful for another year with my little boy.
I'm still learning what it means to be a mom (which I'm aware will be a verb for the rest of my life). Each challenge reflects on what kind of person I want to be and/or who he needs me to be. It's hard to be conscious enough to keep actively trying to be better, especially when the will blurs in the rhythm of the everyday. I keep trying and I keep failing, but I'm also getting some things right. It's a crazy journey I could never imagine before having him.
With all that in mind, when I started sketching ideas for the exhibit collection, whose theme is "The Sun," my little boy appeared in this image.
My son is definitely my Sun. He is the brightest source of light and joy in my life, and my existence has a whole new meaning now because of him. However, motherhood also comes with some heavy burdens that encompass all our lives. There is a delicate balance between abundance and depletion, of sometimes having more than one could aspire to and, other times, feeling like there is nothing left to give. The pose of the titan Atlas carrying the whole world on his back felt fitting.
As I kept working on it, the Sun itself became part of the narrative. I tested painting ideas on a separate piece of paper and glued them on top to test some variations, and I liked how the lines formed waves that influenced each other, giving an idea of volume.
Here was the finalized version:
This first attempt felt off to me. The gold acrylic paint (which is really shiny, even if this scan doesn't show it) made the line inconsistencies distracting rather than meaningful. The lines felt constrained, and the overall emotion of the piece was heavier than the feelings I was carrying.
I decided to start over.
After testing various materials, gouache emerged as the perfect medium for the golden elements. It was less shiny and worked better with the pencil. I also reconsidered the sun's dimensionality, initially inspired by Klimt's interplay between detailed and simplified forms.
Even though it is really interesting composing and enhancing what is detailed and what isn't in this style, this work was too minimalist, and the flatness was too jarring in this context.
I kept playing with it while maintaining the main structure, and here is the finalized second version of it.
Her expression captures something truer now—calm and content, yet existing within dissolution. The sun appears to peel and fragment, visualizing how even our happiest moments exist in delicate balance. All we can do is enjoy the present until it's gone.
What do you think?
My Sun/son will be the only piece in the show, but creating it gave me the opportunity to draw more overall.
I’m really grateful.
I also had to prepare some products and prints to sell during the event and afterwards in the gallery shop.
Yes Pins!
First, I had the idea to make some pins with laser cut. I’ve done it once some time ago and loved the effect and how light they are.
I had the idea to adapt the “My Sun/son" artwork but make them separate beings. The mom is carrying the Moon and the kid is still resting in the Sun while the lines that make the craters of the moon connect with the curves of the sun. They are connected even when apart. They can be used together or exist in their own little world.
It was also fun designing their packaging and how they were going to look like on display.
Thank you Rocketman Props for helping make this happen :)
Oh Riso!
Another beautiful opportunity was finally making risos for the first time with Moniker Press (Erica is amazing, I really hope to take some zine workshops there soon).
It has been so fulfilling to create things and also use my designer side to work with it. Making products and art and exploring different medias is a dream come true.
Some last bits
Some really chill music in nature to relax
A really good article about the effects of AI in art perception
And if you are in Vancouver June 7th, come visit me at the gallery ;) I’ll be there from 4-7pm!
Mari, adorei todo o processo e o resultado final, pois o rosto da mãe se tornou mais suave, vc conseguiu mostrar o prazer e a dureza da maternidade. Lembre-se sempre de que não existe mãe perfeita, somos quem somos e fazemos tudo por todo amor que sentimos à nossa cria. Parabéns pelo trabalho e sucesso na exposição! Bjs.
These are stunning Mariana!!! 😍
Unfortunately I'm in Georgia so I won't get to see these beauties in person but I'm grateful you shared them all with us here!