I am so excited to introduce the latest artist to our roster, Rebekah Webb! Rebekah is a Mobile, AL native who is lucky enough to raise her own children in her charming hometown. Rebekah and I met this past year and she was lovely and effervescent just as I expected her to be. And while I may not remember all we spoke about at our first meeting I will never forget the first piece of Rebekah's work that caught my eye. It was a mother-child portrait collage and I was so struck by how she captured the most tender fleeting moment we as mothers have. I knew that I wanted to share this work with our Well + Wonder community and thus Rebekah's Familia series was born.
Inspired by vintage portraiture, Rebekah's “Familia" collection is reminiscent of family portraits passed down from one generation to the next. When asked what inspired her work, Rebekah replied, "I wanted to capture the tender moments shared between mother and child. The portraits in this series pay homage to all the different women who play a role in shaping our lives."
When Rebekah and I discussed an appropriate time of year to release this series I could not think of a better time then what I have termed "the back to school beginnings." It's that time of year when summer is ending and school is starting. For example, as I am typing this I have two children at my side that have constructed a fort in my home office and I am still supposed to get on one more call today. It's another day of "how is Mommy suppose to work, dear children?" As much as I don't want to admit it, the end of summer is here - no more swim team, no more vacation, no more camps, and our beloved summer sitters are packing up to head back to college. The end of July is here and I won't speak for all Moms but for me, it's a very bittersweet time of year. If your children are like mine then they seem a little more than ready for the routine that the school year brings - there are complaints of boredom, there is too much sugar and too much screen time and lots of late nights and lazy mornings (let's not even get started on how the pool has completely replaced bath time). But at the same time, my heart hurts. I can't believe that these little ones are going to both be in "big" school full time this year. Pre-K and 1st grade. Ouch! That snuck up fast. I suppose for our little family the baby days are over - no more strollers, pacifiers, or bed rails. And it's all so bittersweet. "They" were all right when they proclaimed when I was still in a fog of baby-dom that the days are long but the years are short. So Mommas, if your feelings are all over the place like mine and one day you're counting down to the start of school and the next day you're tearing up looking at an old Chatbook then let's raise a proverbial toast to this haziness that is the end of summer-back to school time. And as we do with most occasions at Well + Wonder I decided to celebrate this time of year with art. And to me, there was no one better suited for the job than Rebekah Webb who has just wrapped her Familia series. To me, these pieces represent that fleeting moment when your child falls asleep on your shoulder and you think "is this going to be the last time?" Or when they say "rock you" at bedtime and you have no plans to correct their language. I could go and on, but I won't. Enjoy Rebekah's work and if you're close by I'm always up to share a tissue or a glass of wine. Cheers! To back to school beginnings and Mommas' hearts bursting!
