Or Lapid – ‘Creative Mothers’
’Having Karni naturally transformed my whole life experience, shifting it into a more domestic and isolated sphere, especially after two years of creating and learning alongside fellow artists at Slade. The sudden lack of time for myself made it difficult to find space, both physically and mentally, to paint. Without access to a studio, I had to adapt and work from home. These limitations forced me to approach creativity differently: painting smaller, quicker watercolors that carried emotional power through their expressive marks, or turning to still lifes that reflected my immediate surroundings, often incorporating Karni’s toys into the compositions.
During that time, I spent hours simply observing Karni paint, amazed by the freedom in his mark-making - so expressive and uninhibited, yet somehow feeling completely intentional. That quiet inspiration stayed with me and helped me reconnect with my own practice when I finally returned to the studio, where I began exploring more abstract works influenced by his drawings and sense of play.
But more than anything, since Karni was born, I’ve felt that he is the most meaningful creation I could ever make. For a while, that deep sense of fulfillment quieted the urgency to make art. It was as if the act of creating had shifted from canvas to life itself. Still, the challenges of motherhood, its intensity and intimacy, have started to feed back into my practice in ways I’m only beginning to understand.’
