I guess by technical definition, I’m a housewife. Besides writing and curating this blog ( which is completely a labor of love at this point ), I don’t work outside the home. Housewife would be a lot easier to explain than “art blogger” when people ask what I do. For the first time in my life, I’m taking care of a household consisting of more than just myself. In her Domestic Series, Massachusetts artist Leslie Graff explores perceptions about domestic life and relationships in our post-modern world.
Her cropped compositions and classic environmental and clothing choices create a universality to the imagery. These could be snapshots of life from virtually any decade in the last six decades.
As much as our roles seem to have evolved over the years, have things really changed that much? My own husband definitely never pushes for our home to be immaculate or for dinner to be delicious and perfect every night, but as a woman, I find myself striving for that perfection and disappointed when I don’t deliver. Why is that?
Why, even when our husbands are happy to help with cooking, cleaning and kid care, do we still expect ourselves to be able to “do it all”? Is it Martha Stewart syndrome? Are we comparing ourselves to standards impossible to keep?
How about those among us who are artists as well as spouses, parents and perhaps have another day job, as well? How do you do it?! 🙂
Featured image is So Satisfying, acrylic on canvas, 30×40. All images are via the artist’s website.
This artist found via Pinterest.