Gotcha!

A family is born.

Last week I celebrated my one-year Substack journey. Well, today marks an even more important milestone. 

Fifteen years ago, on July 19, in China, a crying 13-month-old baby girl was placed in my arms. This trip to China sealed my journey toward motherhood – forever. It was remarkable how far she and I had both come to meet each other on that special day. In adoption circles, such a day is called Gotcha Day or Forever Family Day.

In her short life, she had probably traveled to several areas, including spending a good portion of her pre-adoption life at an orphanage.  She needed a mom, and I needed a daughter. It was a perfect fit. 

Well, not so perfect at first. Understandably, she was distraught about the white stranger who was suddenly cast into her life. She cried four days straight before calming down when she realized that I was mom.

I came with my own baggage. Years before, breast cancer treatment rendered me infertile. Grief ensued. My hopes of becoming a mom had dwindled – until I became aware of the adoption option. At the time, a social worker at my adoption agency told me about babies being available for adoption in China. Although a reluctant traveler, I soon became certain my daughter would be waiting for me there – that this is where our story would begin.

We had both overcome major hurdles to be together. And now, 15 years later, I look back in wonder and appreciate all the great memories and look forward to the years to come. 

This week I took a journey of a different type: heading toward finishing the nude figure I have been painting to be included in my series Breast Cancer, Female and Young:

While I worked on the figure itself, most of my work involved the blue blanket that the woman is laying on. As I’ve said before, I struggle illustrating fabric in a painting. While I wasn’t aiming for photorealism, I was hoping for the blanket to turn out better. I reworked the blanket around the nude’s arms to indicate that her arms are hidden within it. 

The biggest change and improvement was that I covered most of the nude’s wonky leg with part of the blanket. I couldn’t fix the leg, so I hid it. Yes, it’s an artist’s trick, but I believe this change also strengthens the painting. 

I will be tweaking her body, but I definitely will add her hair last. When I complete this artwork, this nude figure will also become part of a family – one that contains tasteful nudes in to illustrate the realities of young women with breast cancer.