Momi
- Candace Brogdon
- Oct 4, 2021
- 1 min read
Updated: Oct 16, 2021
“My mother let me massage her feet whenever I would ask, and I would ask everyday. Sometimes she would protest against my wish because my hands were so small. She said though I was so strong and I put my whole body in it to make sure she felt it. She likes alcohol rubbed on her skin first to clean and soften it, then I’ll apply a nice lotion or oil and get to work! No massage under 30 minutes and you can bet I massaged her ankles, legs, fingers, and arms. When I got older I started massaging her back. I was passionate about this activity up until high school. Lets just say she got spoiled by the early years and it turned into more of her asking then I offering! Massaging my mother is a time for us to talk though. I’ve given her plenty of foot massages and just talked about my disastrous love life.
This painting is an interpretation of my mother when she is laying down looking at me while I'm massaging her feet and I love to see her so happy!
The title Momi is a play on words of Mommy and literally means “kneaded” in Japanese, which refers to hand crinkled paper. The beautiful bronze wrinkled paper in this piece represents the sheets she would lay underneath.”
"Momi means needed in Japanese." This piece is a beautiful, honest tribute to the artist's mother. In just a few words, and with this almost life-sized image, Candance Brogdon captures an entire, complex relationship. The face of her mother, who is lying down to receive her daughter's love and care, reveals such bliss to me. I love how her hands rest above the covers, and how the mother's feet and the daughter's feet are the same. These two women share the ground they stand on. There's such strength in this gesture, but the painted collage's dominant tone is tenderness. A beautiful portrait of the artist's mother in a pose of vulnerability and rest.