Celebrating motherhood via a modern reimagining of a Botticelli painting. Garnet Street, Bristol

Painted as part of Upfest, I took the opportunity to create a mural celebrating motherhood and all the mad eternal strength required in raising a child. A few other factors were considered… There is a nursery opposite and a school at the end of the street, so the location seemed a suitable fit. The road is called Garnet Street and garnet stones, typically red gemstones, are often associated with pomegranate seeds. And, there’s this incredible painting by Botticelli, an Italian Renaissance artist, called The Madonna of the Pomegranate that captures a sense of the epic nature of being a mother.

By taking this old painting and doing it in my style, with a modern twist, I aimed to bring some of the strength of that composition and historical symbolism into this mural. Instead of the cast of supportive angels holding books I’ve depicted them holding objects representing influences (good or bad) parents face. So, there’s a mobile, a tablet, a dummy, milk bottle and an ice cream surrounding this positive central figure of the powerful mum.

You can watch a short making-of video here.