Creating Forward // Feb 2023

La Coiffure by Picasso

I was struck by this image while at the Met last winter. I had never seen a work by Picasso quite like this - typically, I categorize his work as modern, abstract, colorful, and maybe even a bit chaotic. I loved the muted color tones here and the simplicity and innocence of the moment - I think chaos still shows up in the general nature of what happens when you are trying to get ready with kids.

This is another painting I thought would be fun to do with my girls. We are often sitting together in the evenings reading or watching something while I do their hair. I often shamelessly ask them to brush my hair too - it’s the closest I’m getting to a spa experience these days. I love these simple moments and what they look like for us right now. You should also know there was plenty of chaos in these moments - getting a not quite 5 year old to hold a mirror steady exactly where I wanted was … an adventure.

Paintings like the one above - that lean modern or impressionistic, remind me why I love blurred images. They feel very different - crisp details can leave you in awe of the work, but blur can let the emotions of the moment stay with you.