Edith Studio

This quick study and underpainting in oil on gessoed masonite board, 48”x48”, is about a very terrifying event that happened when our son was eight months old. We thought we were losing him due to an allergic reaction.

What made it so much harder was that a few weeks before I had broken my right leg and tore most of the ligaments in my left ankle. I couldn’t walk without crutches, and even then that was extremely difficult. And yet while my husband ran to get the car, I had to get our son down the stairs and to the front door. During that interminably long 5 minutes, he lost consciousness. I don’t think I have ever felt so helpless in my life.

I administered the EpiPen and 15 minutes later in the car, he came to and was okay by the time we got to the ER. That was 13 years ago. It feels like yesterday.

Through 5 or 6 different pieces I’ve been exploring this terrifying event, and in the broader sense, the helplessness, fragility and vulnerability of childhood, while at the same time celebrating children’s remarkable strength and resilience.

Above, I show the first rough-in for the piece and then some detail shots of his face, arm, my cast. There are a lot of obvious technical errors that I don’t want to rework until the oil has dried and some I’m not that concerned about, but I needed to step back and see where I wanna go with the piece as a whole. I might leave it where it is as just a study or I might decide to develop it further into a full painting.

There’s also a studio shot of another piece to the right that I’m working on of the same event where my husband runs to the car while holding our unconscious baby, while I struggle to get up on my crutches and get out the door.

Please like and share this post with a parent, curator, or gallerist with whom you feel this work might resonate. I would also love to hear about an event where you felt helpless as a parent.