Ellen Starr Lyon

As a mother, I am humbled by the intensity of the teenage years. Most often I am kept at arm’s length, and can offer only support – at best helpful, but often left feeling helpless. Painting my teens is a way for me to process this experience and document these emotionally charged but fleeting years. With that comes the need to explore and portray my experience of being woman/wife/mother. My roles are ever changing, and I use self- portraiture to reflect that. This was painted at the beginning of the pandemic as a touch stone to carefree memories. Working on this and other series of self-portraits has focused me on deep work while also working full-time outside the home and parenting children through an ongoing global crisis.