I just received my copy of the Housewife issue of Paper Doll Studio magazine. It's another great issue, filled with wonderful art from diverse artists. There's also a series of memories from those who knew and loved Tom Tierney, which was very touching to read. If you aren't a member, you should be! This magazine is great and I can't believe I waiting as long as I did to join.
Anyway, I thought what would be more appropriate than a
self-portrait!? I am, afterall, a housewife although almost no one uses
that term. I stay home with my sons and dabble in freelance work. I'm
not really a stay-at-home-mom entirely, nor am I a work-from-home-mom
entirely either. In fact, the idea of only being defined in terms of my
children is a bit annoying. Yes, it's my primary function. I worked
before kids, I'll (most likely) work after kids, and the whole reason
I'm home with our sons is because it was more financially viable here in
the Northeast than childcare costs! I also dislike "housewife" for
similar reasons. I'm an individual with a life, history, and existence
that extends long before I met my husband or kids. Mother and wife are
just two of a multitude of words I use to define myself. I spend a long time as a student, worked as a picture framer, ran a grocery bakery department while I was in college, and - since childhood - I've been an artist. I wanted to share all of these separate, meaningful parts of who I am (along with mother and wife).
Having
said that, this was a fun theme to tackle. I created a one-page
self-portrait paper doll highlighting some of the things I do on a daily
basis. I drew & painted the doll by hand and then edited &
added the background in Photoshop. It's a method I really enjoy and use
all the time.
So grab a copy of the magazine and enjoy the fantastic work of so many talented artists!
