This is one of my favorite portraits of myself and Asha, taken by my husband @click.erik. It hangs in our living room, and I look at it every day. It is two years old, before our current stay-at-home sheltering. It was an unintended collaboration, and as a parent and an artist, I feel that my current art practice has been deepened by having a child. The inadvertent turns of phrase she used while learning language skills, and her observations at every age, have all had an impact. On this day, my husband brought home his Graflex and set it up in the yard in the late afternoon. He wanted to take some portraits after photographing the changing garden. You can just see the raspberries starting to bloom in the back. My kiddo would not have it; she ran around the yard screaming, no no no…Erik kept begging her to sit for “just a minute.” I thought about how to salvage the situation. I said, “Ok. Let’s make a deal. You can hide, I will stand with you, too.” I got some blankets, and we stood together strong. You can just see the outline of her defiant face, her hand touching mine through the blanket. I keep looking at this portrait, and it changes with every bit of news and life crashing in, but always, a Mom and a child are sheltering together. That stays the same. I think we all want a security blanket at the moment, if at least a mental one. Stay safe, everyone. Let’s stand together in spirit. #wip#stayingwiththetrouble#airpromptsforpractice2020#graflex#photography#portrait#covid_19#rebeccasiemering#erikgouldphotography#blackandwhitephotography#rhodeisland#momofaredhead