With Child
by Serrah Russell
how does one become more than what is already too much? 2021. 14'“ x 17”. Photographic collage on paper, replication of son Arden's drawing in glue and glitter on vellum.
seeing each other but never seeing like each other. 2021. 14” x 17”. Photographic collage on paper, replication of son Arden's drawing in glue and glitter on vellum.
With Child was created during a time when my son was becoming more independent and separate from me. He entered full-time preschool, he ceased breastfeeding, and we were no longer so closely and physically entwined. This time brought about loss and grief and freedom and relief, as my son and I separated and learned to be individuals, finding new ways to connect. I know that my son and I are forever bound, and also that the strings that bind us are continually lengthening, as we spend more time away from each other, going further distances apart. Making these works was a way to stay connected, to understand him more deeply, and also to acknowledge our separateness. I made many attempts to closely replicate my son’s effortless crayon drawings, mimicking the paths his hand takes, hoping to understand what he is thinking and feeling as he moves so easily and confidently. I redraw his forms at a larger scale and then coat with glue and glitter and intentionally overlay atop found photographs of mother and child from vintage Life and Time magazines. These are the first collaborative artworks between my son and me.
a struggle is the struggle. 2021. 14” x 17”. Photographic collage on paper, replication of son Arden's drawing in glue and glitter on vellum.
in and out and back and forth. 2021. 14” x 17”. Photographic collage on paper, replication of son Arden's drawing in glue and glitter on vellum.
mammal maternal. 2021. 14” x 17”. Photographic collage on paper, replication of son Arden's drawing in glue and glitter on vellum.
Serrah Russell is a visual artist and independent curator. Through collage and appropriation, her practice addresses the relationship and tension between internal emotions and external surroundings, often seen through the body and the landscape. Using advertising and editorial images, she transforms what was intended to sell and influence into space for meditation and protest. She lives in Seattle with her husband and son.
