17 Artworks Honoring Motherhood

CherieDawn Haas

Today we honor strength, mystery, and unconditional love in a roundup of drawings and paintings of mothers with children.

17 Drawings and Paintings of Mothers:

“Afternoon Nap” by Jan Hargood

Pastel portrait painting — Jan Hargood, “Afternoon Nap,” pastel, 13 x 18 in.; With much thanks to Kate and Ed Donaldson for use of their photo reference. @janhargoodartist

“A Mother’s Love” by Eli Cedrone

Paintings of mothers — Eli Cedrone, “A Mother’s Love,” 2020, oil, 11 x 14 in., www.elicedrone.com

“By the Shore” by Eli Cedrone

Paintings of mothers and children — Eli Cedrone, “By the Shore,” 2020, oil, 8 x 10 in., www.elicedrone.com

“Malaysian Madonna” by Susan Brinkmann

I made the reference for “Malaysian Madonna” during a boat trip to a small island of Malaysia in 2019. I visited because I was invited to take part in the Langkawi Art Biennale that year. I was so fascinated by these facial expressions, and luckily for me they allowed me to photograph them.

Colored Pencil drawing of mother with children — Susan Brinkmann, “Malaysian Madonna,” 2019, Colored Pencil on Winsor & Newton Smooth Surface Heavyweight paper, 42 x 42 cm, @SusanBrinkmann

“The Fairy Tail” by Jorge Villalba

On the occasion of the next “mother’s day” I would like to publish “The Fairy Tale.” As a model I took my son Parcival and my dear neighbor Gudrun, today unfortunately no longer with us.

Contemporary realism figurative art — Jorge Villalba, “The Fairy Tale,” 2006, oil on canvas, 170 cm x 190 cm, @jorgevillalbastrohecker

Master copy of Mary Cassatt’s “The Child’s Bath” by Carol Varner Lear

This was one of my favorite paintings at The Art Institute of Chicago as a child.

Paintings of mothers - Copy of Mary Cassatt's The Child's Bath painting — Carol Varner Lear, “Master copy of Mary Cassatt’s The Child’s Bath,” 2021, oil, 17.5 x 13.5 in., @carolvarnerlear

“Mother and Child” by Jessica Lewis

When I first began painting portraits I did a painting of my niece and sister-in-law. She was just a baby and has now turned 17 – hard to believe! Mary Cassatt is an artist I’ve long admired and whose work I thought of often when I painted this. I’m finally getting around to painting one with me and my own two children.

Paintings of mothers - Oil painting of mother with child — Jessica Lewis, “Mother and Child,” 2004, oil on panel, 16 x 20 in., jessica-lewis.com

“Love” by Judith Slawter

After years of longing to be a mother, my daughter and her husband were able to adopt. This drawing is taken from the photograph on that wonderful day. They named their beautiful baby girl Eliana, which means “God answered me.” Eliana just turned 10.

Pencil drawing of mother with child — Judith Slawter, “Love,” 2021, pencil on Bristol, 9.5 x 9 in.

“A Mother’s Kiss” by Nanette Fluhr

My inspiration for the drawing “A Mother’s Kiss” was my beautiful son and the joy of motherhood.

Pencil drawings of mothers with children — Nanette Fluhr, “A Mother’s Kiss,” 2013, pencil, 14 x 11 in., www.nanettefluhr.com

“Silent Night” by Vickey Swenson

During the past year, when all was locked down, my mind turned to family and the heart. This painting shows my mother at the piano and the three of us kids singing Christmas carols around the piano. I am the youngest of the three.

Paintings of mothers - Watercolor painting of mother with children — Vickey Swenson, “Silent Night,” 2020, watercolor on paper, 7 x 5 in., vickeyswensonart.com

“Sanctuary” by Diane Marsh

For nearly 45 years I have been a painter, moving from the “Pattern & Decoration” movement in my early 20’s (in the late 1970’s) to the art world explosion of the early 1980’s when I lived in NYC, and now the desert SW where I remain today, a painter still…There is a current focus in the artworld on women, on motherhood, women in nature, etc. check out @artshesays @claudia.cheng @ninomiergallery. In 2017 #lucylippard wrote about my work: “Although landscape is always in the background, it is rendered with such loving detail that it plays a significant role, another layer of portrait-portraits of a place, of New Mexico, of Abiquiu, of Roswell, where vast and very different space literally offer new horizons, new possibilities.”