A few years ago, my nurse friend told me that women having kids over the age of 35 are classified as “geriatric pregnancies”. I have to admit, that single statement made my dormant biological clock kick in. Now I’m at the age, whenever I get together with a group of women the conversation inevitably turns to having kids. In the era of over-sharing and public information, ignorance would be bliss. I hear the jaw-dropping stories of high-risk pregnancies, tearing during delivery, cracked bleeding nipples, publicly humiliating toddler tantrums, nightmare teenagers, and sexless marriages. These stories leave me terrified and grateful that we don’t have kids. But then there are my friends who say it’s the best thing they have ever done in their life and a love unlike any other they have ever experienced. And then I think, “Well, damn. Maybe…”

 

One of my best friends, Rachel Herrera, is an artist and mother of a beautiful little son. Her artwork captures the thoughtful moments and beauty of everyday life. She paints quickly in the hours while her son is at preschool, makes crafty creations for her Etsy shop, helps to manage and maintain a 70 acre family ranch, and has also been known to make homemade ravioli from scratch. She’s the modern day renaissance woman. I love talking with her about art and life and one time while we were out painting, I told her how I am already a “creator” and fulfilling this need to have kids by creating works of art. She just laughed at me and said, “Kirsten, you can’t compare making a baby to making a painting.” Well, damn. She would know.

 

Last weekend, I met another talented artist my age, Stacey Peterson, who lives with her family in Evergreen, Colorado. She’s the mother of two young kids and gets about two days per week of studio time and is able to squeeze in a couple of extra hours here and there to keep up with her gallery demands. She paints stunning landscapes- thoughtfully composed with a sensitivity for subtle color changes and fleeting moments of light. Looking at her work, you would never imagine that it was painted without the luxury of large blocks of uninterrupted time.

 

I love that these busy women didn’t choose between being an active artist or a committed mother, but are instead doing it all. Maybe one day I will join the ranks of these talented artist-mothers, too. Until then, here’s my latest “baby”- “Overflow” 9×12 oil.