Milk Fire is my exploration of what it means to create and sustain: another human, a creative practice, and a sense of self. It is an acceptance of what we cannot control, an honouring of necessary boundaries, and proof that beauty doesn't exist despite strain and struggle, but because of it.

This collection is inspired by the story of Hera and The Origin Of The Lily, to which I’ve applied the context of my early motherhood—a time that was rife with struggle, confusion, blurred boundaries, and the merging of my selves. 

In classical myth, the origin of the White Lily (and the Milky Way, as the story goes) suggests that beauty is a product of the divine. But if we look closer, we see the undercurrent of boundaries being crossed, an omission of consent, and the exclusion of anger, rage, and eruption as playing any part in expansion and creation.

For me, the White Lily represents this idyllic image of a woman - one where boundaries are easy to set, creativity is inherent, and identity is solid - and the Orange Daylily acts as a metaphor for my experience as a woman in motherhood. It is a flower I painted over and over during the summer I spent battling PPD. 

Milk Fire is so named for the contrast both Milk and Fire have represented in my life so far as a mother. Milk is generative, yet too much leads to inflammation and overwhelm. Fire is destructive, yet it is sometimes necessary for clearing space, rebirth, and expansion. 

Some of the pieces speak to loneliness and seclusion, some to holding joy and sadness simultaneously, while others speak to the layering of roles and identities. All are created in my home studio while I care for my daughter full-time.