Orbiter is a deeply personal reflection on the quiet, lifelong gravitational pull between a mother and her son. At its heart is the idea that, in childhood, a mother and child exist in an almost inseparable orbit. She is their comfort, their safety and their whole world. As they grow, that orbit naturally widens. They move further into their own lives, finding their own direction and independence, yet the invisible force connecting them never disappears. It simply changes shape.
The composition explores this relationship through its forms, representing the son, moving within and around a larger, flowing central form. Their separation is intentional, each has their own trajectory while their visual relationship suggests that they remain connected to something constant. The sweeping, organic shapes create a sense of movement and rotation, while the large areas of negative space evoke the vastness that can gradually emerge between a mother and her grown children.
The palette of soft icy blue, deep dark brown and earthy burnt rust is deliberately restrained. The cool pale blue creates a sense of openness and distance, while the deep dark brown suggests the unknown space into which our children eventually travel. Against this the warm rust tones are tactile, textured and almost visceral. They represent the warmth, memories and enduring imprint of motherhood.
For me, this work is especially personal. It reflects my relationship with my three sons and the bittersweet experience of watching them grow from children who once needed me for everything into individuals with their own paths, dreams and lives. There is a particular ache in realising that the cuddles become shorter, the hands you once held are no longer reaching for yours and the little moments that once filled every day become memories.
But distance is not the absence of love.
The orbit may widen, but the gravitational pull remains.
Orbiter is my reminder that motherhood is not about holding your children close forever, it is about giving them the freedom to find their own orbit, while knowing that, wherever they travel, home remains part of their sky.