Wish These Artists a Happy Mother’s Day

Moms are awesome. That’s why in advance of Mother’s Day, we wanted to feature five incredible artists who are also moms. Uma Gokhale (83 Oranges), Mirta Groffman, Sally Walsh (Sillier than Sally), and Amanda Greenwood are all successful artist moms whose works inspire audiences around the world.

Get to know these awesome women and their works of art below.

83 Oranges

Designing is not only my job: it’s my first love.

Uma Gokhale is the founder and artist behind 83 Oranges. After working at several design and software companies, Uma decided to start her own design company, named after her birth year (’83) and home city of Orange, New Jersey. Of the decision to start her own company, Uma says “that leap of faith has given me the freedom to do what I love and the flexibility to spend a lot of time every day with my two young daughters.” When she’s not working, you can find Uma goofing around with her girls.

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Mirta Groffman

A teacher once told me ‘you need to make a choice between having a family and being an artist,’ and without hesitation, I answered ‘I will have both.’

Mirta Groffman is a Ukrainian artist who lives and works in Turkey. Once told that she couldn’t have a family and also pursue a career in the arts, Mirta ignored the discouragement and followed her heart. Today she is a mother of 10 children and has created more than 600 paintings over the last eight years. Mirta’s artworks feature predominantly impressionist styles, with strong themes of strength and self-improvement.

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Sillier Than Sally

I create my wildlife art directly from my own experiences and encounters with animals.

Sally Walsh is the brilliant artist behind Sillier than Sally. She uses watercolor and mixed media to create bright and whimsical works of art that celebrate wildlife and breathe life into the spaces they decorate. Born and based in Sydney, Sally is a mom to two young boys and animals, all of whom she says have completely stolen her heart.

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Amanda Greenwood

Even as a child I went straight to the painting easel in nursery school.

Amanda Greenwood creates colorful fashion- and floral-inspired works of art using watercolors. Her feminine style adds warm touches to bedrooms, guest rooms and nurseries. Amanda has always loved painting and being creative: “My mother tells me even as a child I went straight to the painting easel in nursery school.”  Her path to becoming a professional artist wasn’t without its challenges, however: when Amanda was first accepted into art schools, she couldn’t afford tuition. As a result, she went to makeup school on scholarship, and worked as a fashion makeup artist for years to save up for art school. She now works as a full time artist, and lives with her children in British Columbia.

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Think your mom’s in need of fresh, new art? Check out these prints and more in our Mother’s Day Gift Guide. Give a shout-out to any artist moms you know in the comments, and be sure to wish all the great moms in your life a very Happy Mother’s Day.