Mother and Child 2016

Amy Sherald’s “Mother and Child” is so grounded and present, yet there's something dreamlike in its stillness. It looks like she is painting on a smooth surface, working with thin layers of paint. I imagine her, brush in hand, circling back, making tiny adjustments until the painting emerges, bit by bit. The grey skin tones are so intriguing! It's not something you see every day, and the light bounces off them in the most interesting way. And the expression of this mother, the set of her gaze, holding a child. The baby is a symbol of innocence, a delicate balance of tenderness and care. Painting is about seeing, thinking, and feeling. I know from my own practice that the process of making reveals new ways of seeing that can be quite moving.