Mother and Child

Acrylic and oil on canvas, framed

60cm x 80cm

2025

Inspired by the Cow and Calf Rocks on Ilkley Moor. This is a place whose name has always captured my imagination. The idea that ancient eyes looked at stone and saw a cow and her calf speaks to the power of human perception and storytelling.

In this piece I have reimagined that connection as a human one: the timeless bond between mother and child. A classical theme, reinterpreted through a contemporary lens.

However, there is a deeper layer too - our relationship with the land. Just as a child depends on its mother, we depend on the Earth for life, nourishment and survival. This work invites reflection on that connection and asks: if the Earth gives us life, what do we owe in return?