"Benediction of the Bath Series--Wombmates,"
each painting is 36 x 24 inches, oil on canvas.
 
The subject of the bath is a time-honored theme throughout the history of art.  My series reminds me of the bathers of Degas, Cézanne, Renoir and Cassatt, with the fresh twist of a modern mother.  I wanted to paint a bath series that was processed through a mother's psyche without being overly sweet or sentimental. 
I knew I had to rely on solid composition and lively brushwork to avoid the saccharine trap -- Mary Cassatt taught me that.  My intention was to convey what every mother knows:  Bathing our children is our benediction.  Like the blessing at the end of the Mass, our vespertine bathing of our babies is our holy rite.
 

Titles from left to right
Top row

1.  "Wee Meggie And Her Accoutrements."
2.  "The Eyes Have It, Molly."
3.  "Newt's Last Judgment."
4.  "Papa Joe."
5.  "The Dancer Is A Dreamer, Katie Rose."
6.  "Mama Mia."

Second row
7.  "Angelic Molly."
8.  "Angelic Megan."
9.  "Offertory of the Last Kiss."
10. "Mama With A Blue Face, (detail)."
11. "Classical Babes."
12. "Madonna della Via"

Third Row
13. "Angel of Peace"
14. "Gaia."
15. "Granny Tess and Her Firstborn."
16. "Mourning, Self-Portrait."
17. "Sisters."
18. "Girl with a Pearl Earring"

Fourth Row
19. Rome
20. Arezzo, Italy
21. "Good Golly, Miss Molly"

Fifth Row
Benediction of the Bath Series