Rachael Grad

Mommy Mayhem: 65 Layers of Toy Drawings and Paintings #5

My art is driven by an obsessive-compulsive need to document my children and their perpetually changing debris (meaning toys, books, clothing, and messes). Daily household and art routines, rituals, and schedules reflect my attempt to reign in the chaos of pandemic parenting. Numbers, habits, and repetition are crucial to my sanity and survival. For 52 weekends in each year, my children's school, daycare, or summer camp are closed for 65 hours in a row. The 52 digital collages each have 65 layers.

“Echoing the slow passing of parenting time, I combine my observational life drawings, mark making experiments, and colourful paintings in Photoshop. I merge then print the combined layers on paper. ”