OliviaG Print

Brandi Hofer Artist Statement GUS 2017 This body of artwork is based on the discussion of being female and a mother in today’s art world. This series aims to speak about my current environment, my triumphs and struggles as a mother, and creating artwork in the midst of raising 2 children under the age of 3 (which any parent knows is no easy feat). This series deals with the ideals of motherhood, morals, and priorities. It is an exciting series that celebrates a mother’s time with her child. I would like to begin by establishing that I rarely like to bring up or to discuss the subject matter of my mother’s death in 2014, being that it is emotionally painful. I lost my mother, my beacon of wisdom and love, my sense of home. After a year and a half fight with lung cancer, my mom passed, I was six months pregnant at the time with my first child. I found her death to be beyond life shattering. Devastatingly I lost my “home”, the constant in my life. Though her values and way of life are entrenched in my every day, I still long for the sound of her voice and cling to the dream of her meeting her grandchildren. The idea of her meeting them for even a minute to see how amazing, beautiful, smart they are, those thoughts are the most heart wrenching for me. There is no doubt in my mind that my son Gus and my husband Carly saved my sanity in those trying months following her death. Gus was my focus, and my husband was my strength. I learned in that trying time that a mother’s love for a child is an insurmountable love, and I now know how much my mother loved me. That experience and shock of death awoke something in me. I had a new thirst for life. Nothing scared me anymore. Nothing could be more painful than losing my mother. You will not get the things you want in life by not taking a chance in the first place. “Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Almost everything--all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure--these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.  Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” -Steve Jobs Since the passing of my mother, my life has kicked into high gear. Time is our most precious commodity and should be spent on the things that matter most: Family, love and one’s passion. Moments are fickle and fleeting; I have endeavoured to make the most of mine. What is it that gets you out of bed in the morning? For me, it’s my family and my hunger for art-making, bringing both together makes me the happiest I’ve ever been. Time with our children slips through our hands like sand, and I refuse to lock myself away in my studio alone and not include my children in my passion for the arts. I want to show them the beauty of mark making, dancing, and expressing yourself with a brush stroke or a splash of paint. I want to teach them to not be afraid to make a mess, “YES Gus you can step in the paint”! My 2-year-old son Gus and spent the most amazing hours creating this series; I hope the unique artwork can even scratch the surface of the significance of our time together. The paintings consist of a series of portraits, the subjects for the portraits are mothers and fathers. The intention of portraits is to project strength, integrity, love and the struggle of what it takes to be a parent. This series is a celebration of motherhood, parenthood and the sheer innocence of being playful. The mindset and mood of the show as a whole will reflect that of the incorruptible freedom of a child’s open cognizance.

Print:Giclee on Canvas

Size:14 W x 21 H x 1.25 D in

Size with Frame:15.75 W x 22.75 H x 1.25 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.