Mothers don't get tired. And the artists?

Last Saturday, Arca Gallery brought together some of the women participating in the “She is the One” exhibition to talk about their experience at the intersection of creative life and artistic life. The result was fantastic and extremely revealing.


I found inspiration for this title in a phrase from curator Gretta Balin's youngest son. She told me that on a very busy day at home, her youngest son assured her father: “Mothers don't get tired, daddy, don't worry.”


A few years later, Gretta is still interested in better understanding this vision of the diligent and tireless mother, and as a representative of more than 20 women who are part of the Arca Gallery group, the inevitable question arises: could it be that artists, even those who do not They are mothers, do they have the same superpowers?


What does it mean to be a woman and an artist at the same time?

We realized in our meeting that there is a very great difficulty for women, at least in the group we spoke with, to dedicate themselves to art from an early age. First the career, then the house and husband, then the children. Even those who did not have children had to hold down a job that paid the bills. A succession of events to fulfill before the long-awaited moment alone with the canvas, with the stone, with the ceramic piece.


How was the beginning?

“My family hated the smell of paint, so I stopped painting when I was a child.” One of the artists commented. “I thought I wasn't capable, that I didn't have what it took to be a real painter,” explains another. The truth is that many of these women began their emancipation in the world of artistic expression after adulthood, when everything around them seemed sufficiently independent. “It was a kind of liberation,” they say with a smile.


Was there a transformative moment?

According to them, it was not just one, but several, and it was not just moments, but people and places. One of the artists had to wait until she was 58 to finally dedicate herself to the fine arts. For another, the loss of a loved one made her stop, breathe, and simply paint. There are countless stories full of insecurity, pain, shyness, responsibility; All of them, fortunately, gave way to works of art that reveal true talent and commitment. So I wonder: and the family wasn't supportive? “Many times,” they explain, “the family does not understand if it is a hobby or a job, friends do not always support us, we have to be firm,” they comment. “Telling our stories through what we do is almost a mission,” we all smile.

In pajamas or heels?

For artists, an important element in artistic independence is the studio. That space that welcomes us without any type of judgment, the Shangri-la of creation. So the question arises: is it better to work from home or outside? There are differences of opinion, of course. There are those who like to create in their pajamas at 3:00 in the morning and there are those who love to get dressed, go out, feel the hustle and bustle of the city. We conclude that there is no formula. The greatest difficulty is not dealing with one's own desires, but with those of others: lunch for the children or the elderly mother, the husband's schedule, social life. Combining schedules is the most complicated part of artistic emancipation, so important in the first years of your career.

We are connected?

Definitely! The phrase is heard in unison. It is clear that there is, indeed, a collective feminine unconscious that subtly reveals the path to the essence of women, which is by nature creative. The women take care of her surroundings until she is safe. Those who are brave enough then decide to dedicate themselves to what makes them feel full, complete, strong, often after adulthood.


More stones in the way, please!


With this phrase, Gretta gives the artists a kind of colorful and rounded faces sculpted by the artist Hans Varela. “From now on, these will be your lucky stones,” says the gallery owner with a smile. "We need more of those stones in our path." Gretta believes that it is necessary to appreciate what is put in front of us. Being a woman can be a challenge, we agree, and being an artist too, but it is worth remembering the phrase that one of them said between hot sips of herbal tea: “Do not shrink your soul.”


We ended with many hugs, strong ones. Because women are united by a common thread of history, we carry a little piece of each other inside, like a branch with many flowers. It is very important that we continue telling stories; using whatever we have at hand: a brush, a pen or simply a lucky stone.



Arca Gallery is available to receive the work of women artists at any time. Those interested can contact lead curator Gretta Balin.

Send an email with her artistic portfolio to the email infoarcagallery@gmail.com

Without a Writer: Adianet Correa. Arca Gallery / Art Gallery The One contributor.