30 Women, 30 Careers: Celebrating Diversity
Role — Mother
A mother’s love is not measured by how much she gives, but by the parts of herself she leaves within those she loves.
Mother is a tribute to motherhood and to the enduring bond between a mother and her children. Although motherhood is not a profession in the traditional sense, it is one of the most profound roles a woman can undertake — shaped by love, sacrifice, patience, responsibility and an endless capacity to care.
When I was 21 and pregnant with my first child, I remember lying awake at night imagining what it would be like to have twins — a boy and a girl, growing together, holding two tiny hands and watching them grow side by side. It was only a dream, but it revealed something I was beginning to understand: the extraordinary capacity of a mother’s heart to make room for another life.
When I first felt my baby’s gentle movements, that imagined future became something much more real. Whether one child or many, I discovered that a mother’s love does not divide — it expands.
I went on to have three children, each becoming a precious and irreplaceable part of my life. To me, every child is a gift, and motherhood has been one of the greatest blessings of my life.
The openings within the figure are central to the meaning of the sculpture.
They represent the pieces of herself that a mother gives to her children — her time, strength, love, knowledge, memories and care. As children grow and eventually leave to create lives of their own, a mother may be left with spaces where those parts of her once belonged.
The openings therefore suggest both absence and connection.
The openings across the back and shoulders; and the child held within the body.
There is a quiet sadness in letting go, but also a deep sense of love. A child may leave a mother’s arms, but never truly leaves her heart. The pieces given away continue to live through the people they have helped shape.
In this way, the sculpture is not only about my own experience of motherhood. It is an acknowledgement of all mothers who give a part of themselves to their children, often without expecting anything in return.
The figure is intentionally developed through a combination of solid mass and openings. The voids become as important as the clay itself.
What has been removed is not simply empty space; it represents what has been given away.
The physical absence within the body becomes a metaphor for the emotional experience of motherhood — giving, nurturing, protecting and eventually allowing children to find their own way.
The sculpture asks us to consider what remains when someone we love grows beyond our immediate reach: not emptiness, but an enduring connection that cannot be seen or measured.
Hand-built in stoneware clay and shown here as unfired greenware, before bisque firing, glazing and final firing.
The work remains part of my ongoing exploration of the human figure, identity, relationships and the stories that can be expressed through clay.
Finished — fired & glazed
This piece is awaiting its bisque and glaze firing. Finished photographs will be added here once it comes out of the kiln.
For enquiries about pricing or to commission a piece, please contact lee.anchor@optusnet.com.au.