Rachael Howatson Art

A new year, new reflections, an old poem from 6 years ago, same relevance, new meanings [ t h et e r r a i nIl a ym yf e e to n ] a seemingly never-ending winding road... that sometimes seems a familiar one that is worn in from retracing ones steps and on this well-walked path I feel torn between the comfort of the known and yearning for more there are days where I stop in my tracks look at where I have been reminding myself of paths once journeyed an envy arises to the ignorance of those feet that delighted in walking forward its eagerness to lay its soul on the earth ahead oh, for how those feet would later know of how glorious those paths were that they quickly traversed now, my feet, a bit harder and calloused aren’t quite as eager as they were once the road ahead seems daunting in evidence of what I have already passed but with every bend in the road there is a weighted hope what lies ahead? where will this path take me next? so as I stand here in reflection on this path called life honouring the roads once passed anticipating the paths that await and above all appreciating the terrain I lay my feet on now #newyearspoem #lifespath #stayingpresent #staypresent #inthenow

Pregnancy is such a wild transition - there can be so many waves of emotions, from feeling out of control and terrified of all its changes, to embracing the beautiful mystery of how life can form in our bodies (like... ), to learning to accept our new bodies and grieving what they once were, to disconnecting from it because of the discomfort, nausea and all the other aches and pains, to learning to reconnect and listen to what our body needs. From my last pregnancy, I wrote this poem to wrap my mind around this new way of relating to my body. There are still ebbs and flows of feeling in tune and taking care of my body. It’s a process - our bodies change and it takes time to follow it. Let us be gentle with ourselves #pregnancy #changingbodies #embodiment #matrescence

Commission of a beautiful mama holding her babe for the first time #linedrawing #commissionedart #graphite #portraitdrawing #minimalism #momandbaby #momandbabyportrait #momandbabydrawing

[ t a k i n g c a r e o f t h e m o t h e r ] I have been reading Like A Mother by @angelagarbes lately as I tread my way through this second pregnancy, and this quote struck a cord for me: In pregnancy, developing babies are of the utmost importance, yes. But so are mothers. There are no babies without us. Without being allowed our autonomyownership of who we are, messiness, flaws, contradictions, and allwe can begin to fade into the background, a shadow to ourselve...s and our future children. I have felt this in my first as well as this pregnancy, where as a mom, there is this cultural expectation that my existence is now to meet the needs of the being growing inside and then after. That my needs are pushed aside, seen as something of an excess, an after thought. This quote let me sigh with relief that I am not the only one who has felt this pressure. That someone out there is acknowledging the complexity and a woman’s right to choose even in pregnancy. That there is no hard and fast right way to balance our needs and the baby’s needs as there is still so much uncertainty of surrounding these decisions. And most importantly, that as a mother, I am also human. #linedrawing #motherhoodart #pregnancyart #pregnancydrawing #charcoaldrawing #takingcareofmyself #pregnancy

This lovely mama commissioned me to draw her with her two boys back in the spring. It feels like such an honour to create these pieces that are so meaningful and personal. #linedrawing #commissionedart #minimalistart #charcoalportrait

These prints now up! After a bit of a creative lull, feeling a new wind and these are the first to go up, just in time for Mother’s Day. Got some commissions on the go at the moment but have space for a few more if you’re thinking of personalized Mother’s Day gift - let me know!

[ w o n d e r ] I want to observe, To take life in slowly, To not realize later that I didn’t take it in,... The smell of his freshly washed hair, His warmth snuggled into mine, His screeches of delight, And to laugh heartily along with him, To jump into puddles, To feel the mud between our toes, Enraptured by the mystery Enchanted with the ordinary, Enveloped in the beauty of it all. So my son, Take me down paths of curiosity, Lead me to places to discover, Wide-eyed and heart open, Let’s never stop the wonder . . . . . #throughtheeyesofachild #wonder #livingslowly #slowliving #itsthelittlethings #aslowmoment #embracingaslowerlife #livethelittlethings #myeverydaymagic #nothingisordinary #theartofslowliving #seekthesimplicity #letthembelittle #inbeautyandchaos #motherhoodsimplified #slowmotherhood See more

Playing around with some ink and a paintbrush . . . .... . . #figurative #figurativedrawing #motherhood #minimalist #minimalism #minimalismart #minimalistdrawing #linedrawing #linedrawings #minimalistart #figurativeart #mamaandbabe #motherhoodrising #motherhoodsimplified #motherhoodinspired #motherhoodart #allthatisbetweenus #rachaelhowatsonart #slowmotherhood #pregnancy #pregnancyart #pregnancydrawing #pregnantbelly See more

Carried by our mothers, Wrapped in the arms of our mother’s mothers, Embraced by the ones we never got to meet, Held by the ones who have stepped in. Thank-you for all you do and have done,... For all you are and have been. Not just the ones still here, But for the ones who have come before us. . . . #figurative #figurativedrawing #motherhood #minimalistart #minimalistdrawing #linedrawing #linedrawings #minimalistart #figurativeart #mamaandbabe #motherhoodinspired #motherhoodart #minimalistmom #allthatisbetweenus #rachaelhowatsonart #generationalart #mothersdayart #manymothers #generationart See more

THEY’RE HERE! Just in time for Mother’s Day! Thank-you for your patience! It sure has taken a lot longer than I expected - but doesn’t most things when you are a mom? Momming takes up a lot of my time and energy (which I wouldn’t want it differently... most of the time ), then work, and finally art gets those small pockets of time that there is some stillness that I relish in. However, I have noticed that Instagram is such a wild platform that I have felt this immense... pressure to keep up - and frankly that just sucked the joy out my art. So I am learning to enrich the time I do have and post when I can. So thank-you for your patience and for staying with me Also, I wanted to take a moment to share my gratitude to all you guys who have been following this journey. I feel so grateful for your encouragement, as well as hearing stories of your own journey into motherhood. It feels meaningful to know that these pieces have a place not only in my heart, but also in the hearts of other moms out there. SO thank-you, thank-you, thank-you for your words and stories - it makes creating these pieces all the more worthwhile. You can find the prints available in my Etsy shop - just click the link in my bio. Also, just as an FYI, there are only a limited number of each print! So if you are interested in a print, maybe don’t be as slow as I was in making them . . . . . . #figurative #figurativedrawing #motherhood #minimalist #minimalistdrawing #linedrawing #linedrawings #abstractart #contemporaryart #contemporarydrawing #minimalistart #figurativeart #womandrawing #mamaandbabe #motherhoodrising #motherhoodsimplified #motherhoodjourney #motherhoodinspired #motherhoodart #minimalistmom #womandrawingwoman #allthatisbetweenus #rachaelhowatsonart #mothersdaygift #mothersdayart #nurseryprint #nurseryartprint #motherprint #motherart See more

[ i n m y a r m s ] charcoal original 7x10 holding you as long as I can arms so heavy... yet so full See more

Finally getting around to making some prints. Stay tuned!

[ c h o o s i n g j o y ] You are a year, my love. And although it marks just another day in your life, It holds more weight than other days, ... It comes with a strange significance. Yet every day, I feel my heart pulled in two different directions. One that grieves you growing and changing, One that is filled with joy to see you do just that. I want to stop time. To pause your growth, To relish in every inch of you, Before time takes and changes it. How an ache wells up inside for a pause. Yet, it is like trying to trap water through my fingers, To hold it before it slips through my grasp. Holding it tight, To not let one drop fall. However, I cannot live with these clenched hands, And missing what is being continuously poured out. With that I am reminded that you are not mine to grasp, But a gift to enjoy as you pass by. Since life is fluid. You are fluid. And instead of living in fear of always losing something of you, I will choose joy and seek to be here with you now Irony of this post is that I took this photo 6 months ago!

As women, we are strong, But it’s also okay to be weak. As women, we are capable, But we don’t have to do it all. As women, we have so much to give, ... But we also need to receive. As women, we are influential, But we also don’t need it all together. As women, we are powerful, But we are also human. Just a reminder to be gentle to yourself As I need this reminder daily. #internationalwomensday

[ a y e a r o f h o l d i n g y o u ] A year of holding you, To have the weight of you in my arms, Is a year I hold sacred,... One I will never forget, Never let go of, I want to remember you here - always. I don’t know about you, but this first year of being a mom has felt like such a whirlwind that it seems to all melt into one - which grieves my heart a little ...(okay... maybe a lot!). Because THIS, this embrace, this season, I want to REMEMBER it. I don’t want it all to be a blur. So I draw. I capture these moments with my little guy so I can remember. To sketch these embraces also has helped me to take a pause - BREATHE, when I felt like I couldn’t catch it - and see the meaning, beauty and sacredness in this season. My hope is for you to see you and your little one in these sketches, so that you too can remember these moments. What has helped you to take pauses in your day? What are things you want to remember and hold with you about this season of life? See more

I have been grappling with the words to express my experience of my body postpartum for... a long time. This is actually why I started drawing these figures - to know, to reconcile with, to be with my body once again with all its changes. Then I read this poem by @hollieholdenlove that resonated so deeply to my core what I have been trying to convey, let alone understand for myself. I so appreciate the gift of language, poetry, art and its ability to communicate what is unsee...n and sometimes unknown. Thank-you @hollieholdenlove for your powerfully resonating words Today I asked my body what she needed, Which is a big deal Considering my journey of Not Really Asking That Much. I thought she might need more water. Or protein. Or greens. Or yoga. Or supplements. Or movement. But as I stood in the shower Reflecting on her stretch marks, Her roundness where I would like flatness, Her softness where I would like firmness, All those conditioned wishes That form a bundle of Never-Quite-Right-Ness, She whispered very gently; Could you just love me like this? - Hollie Holden See more

[ p a i n f u l y e t p o w e r f u l ] **Disclaimer: My birth story might be different than yours, as birth can also be quite traumatic. Please know that your experience in birth (and experience with pain) may differ but your birth story is also so meaningful and significant! Dear Body, ... I didn’t know, I didn’t know that I have been underestimating you. I am in awe of your strength, At how much you can handle. At how much you can withstand. At how much pain you can endure. Going through this together, Through this pain, I hold a reverence for you, That I haven’t held before. Through these intense surges of pain, I learnt your strength, Your power. Your resilience. And I also met my own strength, My own power, My own resilience. Painful, yet powerful. Things that aren’t often linked. Typically when thinking of feeling pain, When we let ourselves FEEL it, It somehow is equated to weakness, To frailty, To fault. Feeling is too emotional. Too fragile. Too much. But the mixture of pain and power, Is how I would describe birth. Fully immersed in the pain, Wave after wave, But also connected to a deeper strength. Although many times I felt uncertain and incapable if I could keep up, You seemed to say back, Don’t worry, I know what I am doing. So I trusted. Maybe not completely, But I tried to trust you through the discomfort. Facing the pain, Facing the feeling, Being embodied with you, I felt empowered. Not caring about containing, Or holding you in a certain way, I followed your force, Followed your movement, Followed your instincts. Even though it was painful, We were connected in a rhythmic dance. A dance with our feet pounding till rawness, A dance where our hair wild, A dance that led to bringing a life, A soul, Into this world. Painful, yet how powerful. There is no other organ quite like the uterus. If men had such an organ they would brag about it. So should we Ina May Gaskin

[ r e c o n n e c t i o n ] Body of mine, I have often struggled and battled with you. Told you to do this, not that. ... Be this, not that. Eat this, not that. Run here and there, Battle fatigue, Fight hunger, Push down feelings, Ignore the signals you have raised to slow down, to stop. I tried my best to silence you. Then I found out you were growing a life inside. It wasn’t just me that we were carrying. So I was faced with needing to confront you. At times, it was uncomfortable, You were changing, You stretched and grew without my say, Without my direction. But instead of silencing you, I began to listen. I noticed when you were tired, and I would rest you. I realized when you were hungry, and I would nourish you. And I was amazed at your ability to ‘know’. For you were doing something remarkable, As you weaved this being inside of us. Carrying another allowed me to take care of you, To take care of myself, To take care of all of us. And as I rested in your wisdom, I began to trust you, To join with you, To reconnect to you again.

"It's okay to be grumpy sometimes, to have bad days, to struggle, to make mistakes, to say the wrong thing, to feel overwhelmed and underappreciated, to be out-of-sorts and sort-of-over-it-all. It's okay for us big humans, and it's okay for our little humans, too. After all, we're all human, right? How else will our little humans learn that it's okay to be human? Remember, we're imperfect humans growing imperfect humans in an imperfect world, and that's perfectly okay." - L.R.... Knost I sometimes forget that I don’t need to have it altogether. That’s it’s okay as a parent to have emotions and how that can be even helpful for our little ones to know and see that it’s normal and healthy to feel all the feelings. That both us and them are enough and loved through it all the joy, disappointment, confusion, frustration, and sadness. I’ve been reminded of this a few times this week and so needed to hear it, so thought maybe someone else might need to hear this too! L.R.Knost - Little Hearts/Gentle Parenting Resources