Hello everyone,
As of next week I will begin featuring artists on this blog. Some may come from my Desperate Artwives project; others will be artists I've met, or will meet, along the way. I believe that sharing and collaborating is a very important step along an artist's path. It enables you to experiment differently with your own work, creates debate and inspires and motivates new work.
Since launching the DAW project I came across many artists from around the world with impressive artwork and amazing stories to tell. Women would get in touch with me sharing their life stories, their hopes and sometimes their desperation about finding the time to make art. Very often I've thought that the stories behind the works would make a good book! Obviously I haven't forgotten about them, in fact, some of them made such an impression that I was inspired to feature their work here. I could not wait any longer and last week I got in touch with a few and invited them to take part. I feel extremely excited and lucky to be able to introduce these incredible and awe-inspiring artists to you all.
Please keep reading and spread the word!
Later on,
Amy x
Ps.If you're a visual artist and you think your artwork could be part of the Desperate Artwife blog I would like to hear from you!
Saturday, 18 January 2014
Monday, 13 January 2014
Glammed up working hands ♥
If you're regularly following my blog you'll probably remember my perfectly executed manicure back in December. I said I was going to keep an eye on it to see how long it would last... and so I did.
I don't have my nails done very often as it is simply a waste of money. I open far too many tomato cans and scrub dirt from the floor way too many times a day to be able to keep them immaculate. And besides, I don't really attend social events where I can display my wonderfully decorated hands... My kids are the only ones enjoying them. And myself of course!
Glancing at them whilst pushing the buggy gives me the sense of being a controlled, together person who looks after herself. I'm not! My showers are fast and furious, my clothes are thrown together in the dark and the last time I had a hair cut was back in 2012, one day before having Cooper!
So yes, having my nails done for Christmas was a little big deal. As expected though, by day 4 it was all over ...
I don't have my nails done very often as it is simply a waste of money. I open far too many tomato cans and scrub dirt from the floor way too many times a day to be able to keep them immaculate. And besides, I don't really attend social events where I can display my wonderfully decorated hands... My kids are the only ones enjoying them. And myself of course!
Glancing at them whilst pushing the buggy gives me the sense of being a controlled, together person who looks after herself. I'm not! My showers are fast and furious, my clothes are thrown together in the dark and the last time I had a hair cut was back in 2012, one day before having Cooper!
So yes, having my nails done for Christmas was a little big deal. As expected though, by day 4 it was all over ...
Amy Dignam 2014 ©
Thursday, 9 January 2014
Don't stop the spots! ♥
This morning I was reading the news of Damien Hirst creating a portrait of Mickey Mouse for charity. I really like how he broke up the original image and used a few simple spots to recreate it. Collective memories... that's what the picture says to me. We ALL know about Mickey Mouse, Coca Cola, Marilyn Monroe etc. These are icons imprinted on our core, almost part of our DNA.
Personally, I feel saturated by these images, so much so that when I come across them I don't actually see them anymore - My subconscious glosses over them, my eyes refuse to look - my brain disengages... That is why I really like what Damien Hirst did. He freshened up Mickey Mouse! He updated it by simplifying it, making it more stimulating to the eye and he did it by simply leaving the important bits, the ones we identify Mickey Mouse with straight away - The big ears, The round nose etc.
It's great and I believe this plays with children's imaginations and intuition.
Not that long ago I did a series of "portraits" (quick sketches with coloured pens really!) of my son Cooper based on the idea of a dice. Back then he was only a few weeks old and all he did was eat and sleep. His face reminded me of a round dice. Depending on his mood, on what he wanted or needed, his face would change, adding or taking away what to me looked like dots.
I decided he had 6 facial expressions - and that was pretty much all he needed back then!
Personally, I feel saturated by these images, so much so that when I come across them I don't actually see them anymore - My subconscious glosses over them, my eyes refuse to look - my brain disengages... That is why I really like what Damien Hirst did. He freshened up Mickey Mouse! He updated it by simplifying it, making it more stimulating to the eye and he did it by simply leaving the important bits, the ones we identify Mickey Mouse with straight away - The big ears, The round nose etc.
It's great and I believe this plays with children's imaginations and intuition.
Not that long ago I did a series of "portraits" (quick sketches with coloured pens really!) of my son Cooper based on the idea of a dice. Back then he was only a few weeks old and all he did was eat and sleep. His face reminded me of a round dice. Depending on his mood, on what he wanted or needed, his face would change, adding or taking away what to me looked like dots.
I decided he had 6 facial expressions - and that was pretty much all he needed back then!
- Sleeping
- Awake
- Yawning (tired)
- Looking around
- Looking with red cheeks
- Agitated (wanting something)
Amy Dignam 2014 ©
Wednesday, 8 January 2014
Egg surprise ♥
This Blog entry was created especially for 'The egg, the womb, the head and the moon' art collective. The creator of this project is Helen Sargeant, visual artist and mother of two.
Helen writes "The egg, the womb, the head and the moon is an online, interdisciplinary, collaborative arts project that will last for nine months (42 weeks)–a time frame that purposefully mirrors that of the duration of pregnancy. The site contains moving and powerful art and texts by artists, performers, photographers, academics and poets exploring a diverse range of subjects about the maternal. At the end of the 42 weeks (May 2014) a celebratory exhibition will be held at The Artsmill Gallery in Hebden Bridge. The exhibition will be born out of the communications and interactions made visible through this space."
Helen Sargeant (who is also a Desperate Artwife and participated in the second part of the show in London in 2012) will feature on this blog very soon...
Please take a moment to visit her wonderful blog - http://www.eggwombheadmoon.com
'Egg surprise' is an overview of the primordial state of life inside a woman's body and how a story unfolds from it. Empty eggs, full eggs, painful eggs, unwanted eggs. Whilst these decisions are made for us within our bodies, we have no choice or control over what the outcome will be. During this time our brains are full of random thoughts. Dealing with a pregnancy, expected or not, triggers many doubts and anxieties. 'Egg surprise' is the silent scream of happiness, fear, rejection, hope, relief and the many other feelings a pregnancy brings to light.
I like the idea that even in those early stages my children were forming all those genetic characteristics that I am still learning about now. Chocolate is truly in our families genes.
Helen writes "The egg, the womb, the head and the moon is an online, interdisciplinary, collaborative arts project that will last for nine months (42 weeks)–a time frame that purposefully mirrors that of the duration of pregnancy. The site contains moving and powerful art and texts by artists, performers, photographers, academics and poets exploring a diverse range of subjects about the maternal. At the end of the 42 weeks (May 2014) a celebratory exhibition will be held at The Artsmill Gallery in Hebden Bridge. The exhibition will be born out of the communications and interactions made visible through this space."
Helen Sargeant (who is also a Desperate Artwife and participated in the second part of the show in London in 2012) will feature on this blog very soon...
Please take a moment to visit her wonderful blog - http://www.eggwombheadmoon.com
Egg Surprise ♥
The playful idea of using a chocolate egg as the involucre for such a sensitive issue comes from my knowledge as an experienced parent. The future of a mother to be is chocolate. Chocolate could easily have been one my kids first words - they're pretty much obsessed with it - it's unbelievable how so much of their time and energy goes towards earning points for some sort of chocolate reward!
I like the idea that even in those early stages my children were forming all those genetic characteristics that I am still learning about now. Chocolate is truly in our families genes.
With these images I try to symbolise the essence of the parent/child relationship. The effort, the patience, the will and sometimes the battles we go through in creating life intertwine with our kids favourites - chocolate, surprises and toys.
Amy Dignam 2014 ©
Amy Dignam 2014 ©
Tuesday, 7 January 2014
You are not alone ♥
Up days, down days, up days, down days, up days and so on... This is a full time mother's life isn't it? Yes, we ALL have ups and downs, you don't need to be a full time mother to know that. However - and I might be wrong - but I can't help thinking that at times, ups and downs as a full time mother are somehow more tricky to handle.
The thing is that we have a constant responsibility towards our
children and we need to stay up... even when we're down. We can't just go to work and keep a low profile for the day. We need to be on the go all the time pretending all is well.
Now I'm going to be totally predictable here and say "children are a blessing!" and they really are! But some people see motherhood as a disease or an obstacle; Something that stops them from being who they really are or want to be. Sometimes the stress and lack of sleep makes us overlook that too.
The truth is that the first 5 years of our children's lives are so important and exclusive. After that, they go to school and it's all over. They change and what we see of them will be limited. We should enjoy every minute of these first 5 years but it's not that straight forward. I believe that the secret to a happy home is to have a good balanced week.
Sometimes I do feel guilty for not being able to 'enjoy' my time with the children more and frustrated at not being able to be as spontaneous as I used to be. At the moment my days have become sort of the same and sometimes, at the end of it, I'm just glad to have survived rather than feeling accomplished and satisfied. The concept of 'enjoying my time with my children' is great but it puts me under a lot more stress and sounds like yet another thing to add to the 'to do' list.
Full time parents are often misunderstood by society and believed to be some sort of special human kind. Because we're at home with our lovely little ones we are expected to always have fun and enjoy it. The reality is that it's a lot of hard work!!! Most days I have no time or space for myself and I envy my husbands commuting time. I never particularly liked using the tube or the train but now, the thought of spending an hour in a packed train whilst going through my iPhone playlist sounds like heaven...AND, don't even get me started on lunch breaks!
We all deal with the lack of time differently. During my down times I look at the state of my house and get even more upset. Nothing is where it should be and I'm sure half of my time and energy goes into looking for things that are never in their place when I need them! Recently, I asked a group of mothers to send me photos of their messy houses with the intent of lifting the spirit of women that, just like me, don't have the time or the resources to keep the house up to scratch. Someone once said that a 'messy house is a happy house'. I'm not sure I entirely agree as when I am going through a bad day I just want to close my eyes and have it all gone. But then an up day happens and I feel peaceful and totally accept the reality of having a house filled with the evidence of happy children. When an up day happens I know that what I feel is the real truth and that truth is...I am happy. I'm happy with my messy house because I've got my trio keeping it...yes messy...but also alive! No doubt the time will come when a down day is on your doorstep, but when that time comes just try and keep it in perspective and remember, you are not alone!
children and we need to stay up... even when we're down. We can't just go to work and keep a low profile for the day. We need to be on the go all the time pretending all is well.
Now I'm going to be totally predictable here and say "children are a blessing!" and they really are! But some people see motherhood as a disease or an obstacle; Something that stops them from being who they really are or want to be. Sometimes the stress and lack of sleep makes us overlook that too.
The truth is that the first 5 years of our children's lives are so important and exclusive. After that, they go to school and it's all over. They change and what we see of them will be limited. We should enjoy every minute of these first 5 years but it's not that straight forward. I believe that the secret to a happy home is to have a good balanced week.
Sometimes I do feel guilty for not being able to 'enjoy' my time with the children more and frustrated at not being able to be as spontaneous as I used to be. At the moment my days have become sort of the same and sometimes, at the end of it, I'm just glad to have survived rather than feeling accomplished and satisfied. The concept of 'enjoying my time with my children' is great but it puts me under a lot more stress and sounds like yet another thing to add to the 'to do' list.
Full time parents are often misunderstood by society and believed to be some sort of special human kind. Because we're at home with our lovely little ones we are expected to always have fun and enjoy it. The reality is that it's a lot of hard work!!! Most days I have no time or space for myself and I envy my husbands commuting time. I never particularly liked using the tube or the train but now, the thought of spending an hour in a packed train whilst going through my iPhone playlist sounds like heaven...AND, don't even get me started on lunch breaks!
We all deal with the lack of time differently. During my down times I look at the state of my house and get even more upset. Nothing is where it should be and I'm sure half of my time and energy goes into looking for things that are never in their place when I need them! Recently, I asked a group of mothers to send me photos of their messy houses with the intent of lifting the spirit of women that, just like me, don't have the time or the resources to keep the house up to scratch. Someone once said that a 'messy house is a happy house'. I'm not sure I entirely agree as when I am going through a bad day I just want to close my eyes and have it all gone. But then an up day happens and I feel peaceful and totally accept the reality of having a house filled with the evidence of happy children. When an up day happens I know that what I feel is the real truth and that truth is...I am happy. I'm happy with my messy house because I've got my trio keeping it...yes messy...but also alive! No doubt the time will come when a down day is on your doorstep, but when that time comes just try and keep it in perspective and remember, you are not alone!
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| Sarah's bedroom |
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| Dani's dining room |
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Anna's kitchen
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Sunday, 22 December 2013
My pre-Christmas time ♥
Hello everyone! Hope you're having a nice pre-Christmas! For as long as I can remember, Christmas time has been a time of sickness, not just for little ones but for us too. This week I have been fighting with all my power against an ear infection and finding it quite difficult to keep focus on my blog. However, today was a better day and I managed to use my birthday voucher (my birthday was back in September!) and was 'escorted' by one of my very good friends to the nail shop. I had a back massage, a foot massage, mani and pedi and even managed to have my eyebrows waxed! Check me out getting some 'me time' again!
My husband is usually always happy to let me go whenever the opportunity comes but today he was a bit stroppy because "we have so much to do!"... yes, he's right, like all practical men he knows exactly how much needs to be done and how long it will take to do it... Well, needless to say I won!
Dixie also felt very festive today and wanted to go shopping with baubles for earrings. Again, my husband wasn't to keen on the idea...but needless to say she won too!!!
Now, it's almost 12 o'clock and I am really tired. I'm looking at the pictures I've taken today of my groomed nails and I can't help but thinking 'how long will they last?'... Whilst I was cooking dinner tonight I repeatedly checked them, making sure they still looked pretty and tidy. Tomorrow I will probably already have forgotten and in less than 48 hours I won't even care any more. That's because I know they won't last. The reality is such that I cannot be that careful. I am a full on mother of three who cooks 3 times a day from scratch, I have 2 children in nappies and a 6 year old who's devoted to craft activities. So what are the chances?
This is what my nails look like tonight; Sunday 22nd of December 2013 at 11:46.
My husband is usually always happy to let me go whenever the opportunity comes but today he was a bit stroppy because "we have so much to do!"... yes, he's right, like all practical men he knows exactly how much needs to be done and how long it will take to do it... Well, needless to say I won!
Dixie also felt very festive today and wanted to go shopping with baubles for earrings. Again, my husband wasn't to keen on the idea...but needless to say she won too!!!
As always, I took pictures of this. I love documenting my children's experiments with the surrounding world. It almost feels like an ongoing collaboration... As with my soon to be featured 'cut out' project, in these images I was very attracted to the 'other subject' - the one that you didn't focus on at first. In this case it's me in the photographs rather than my beautiful Dixie, who has been severely cropped out.
'The other subject' was an important detail for me. I tend to record my children's life all of the time by taking photos - all their little achievements and creative moments. But this time I can see myself behind the lens. Roles -subject and artist (mother and daughter)are merged within the context of the photos. My memories become hers and her memories become mines.
Now, it's almost 12 o'clock and I am really tired. I'm looking at the pictures I've taken today of my groomed nails and I can't help but thinking 'how long will they last?'... Whilst I was cooking dinner tonight I repeatedly checked them, making sure they still looked pretty and tidy. Tomorrow I will probably already have forgotten and in less than 48 hours I won't even care any more. That's because I know they won't last. The reality is such that I cannot be that careful. I am a full on mother of three who cooks 3 times a day from scratch, I have 2 children in nappies and a 6 year old who's devoted to craft activities. So what are the chances?
This is what my nails look like tonight; Sunday 22nd of December 2013 at 11:46.
I'm planning on keeping a diary to record all the 'accidents' my nails are about to encounter ... Come back in a few days time and find out what happened!
In the mean time Merry Christmas to you all!
Lots of love
Amy xx
Amy Dignam 2013 ©
Sunday, 15 December 2013
Sleeping ♥
Sleeping is a good memory of mine. I think that when I took these photos back in 2005 I'd somehow foreseen into the future. As I come across these today I couldn't help but thinking what a easy life I had back then. I mean, what did I do all day? Yes, I had a job but still.
At the end of the day instead of coming straight home I would go to the gym or meet Mike or some friends for a drink and then maybe end up going for a meal in some or other restaurant. I would watch movies I planned to and not just random ordinary and dull films that happen to be on telly.
Life has changed indeed and looking at these pictures 8 years on I can't help but feel they were made to tease me in the future...the future that is happening now.
If I could say one thing to myself back then would probably be "Sleep Amy, sleep, sleep and then sleep some more!"
Amy Dignam 2005 ©
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