Manifest

oil on canvas

58in x 62in, framed

I had this idea after a friend of mine warned me that while it was wonderful that I was taking control of my life, having adventures, pursuing my passion for solo travel, and in all ways "manifesting" my dreams, if I wasn't careful with the next five years, I could end up, in his words, "manifesting my way out of a family." I was startled by this comment because it acknowledges a question that I try very hard not to think about. I guess I prefer to trust that the Universe has a plan for me in these matters, and what is meant to be will be. Women are always talking about "having it all," in terms of family and career. So this is a painting about "having it all;" having a baby, while still being an independent woman, and traveling the world... Or maybe this woman has chosen to pursue the wider world, and the baby is merely the shadow of an idea that she has left behind...? The title "Manifest" references my friend's comment, in terms of how we tend to make things happen once we decide that we want them, but it worked in the other sense of the word too, meaning the things that you bring with you, the cargo you actually hold; if a baby is this woman's manifest, then she must reconcile that burden with her other plans. And then, of course, there is a reference to "Manifest Destiny" and the belief that we were meant to travel west. Perhaps she feels that she is meant to see the world. Perhaps that pull is as instinctual as the migration of geese.