The Selby x Mother Art Installation

I was commissioned to do some watercolor wall art for the new Mother LA office. “What objects remind you of your mom?” was the question we asked everyone who works there and here were the answers I used to inspire the illustrations on the wall. 

“Hand weights. My mom would always work out to old Richard Simmons VHS’ in our living room while I played with my Tonka trucks. She had/still has these grays plastic hand weights that, to this day, have sharp plastic on the edges that always cut me and made me cry as a kid/adult kid. Also, my mom used to kiss a piece of toilet paper with her lipstick and give it to me before she dropped me off at the baby sitters when I was 4. I was scared AF of my babysitter and the other kids were mean AF to me, so I’d keep the toilet paper in my pocket and pull it out when I got scared or someone was mean to me and think of my mom to bring comfort.” -> Eric Reilly

“Cool Ranch Dorito chips. My Mom would always buy these when she use to take me to the beach as a kid.” —>Matt Garcia

“My Mum bought second hand handbags, somehow really cheaply but it meant she had hooks around the house with 3-4 on.” -> Joe Staples

“My mom and dad own two nail salons in Muskogee, OK. When my 3 brothers and I were kids growing up, she used to practice on us and do our nails. The smell of nail polish/acetone always reminds me of the childhood free manicures.” —> Hoang Truong

“A golden Christian cross she always has around her neck. For me it represents her kindness, compassion, her service to others, as well as her huge role in our local church and community. It typifies my mum, regardless of the religious connotations.” —> Will Flood

“High Heels. She loves them and wears them all the time. I have this one memory of her while we were on vacation in Nicaragua, we went to watch the running of the bulls. Where they literally let bulls go in the streets and have people run away from them – for fun. We were standing on this platform, looking down on the street where they were running, and a bull came up where we were. She ran faster than I’ve ever seen before, grabbing me by one hand, and carrying my 6 year old chubby sister with the other arm. All in like 5 inch high heels..” —> Clelia Hernandez

“Lipstick – she never left home ‘without her lips on’” —> Joy Thomas

“Spoons. Tiny, decorative spoons. She’d buy them wherever we traveled.” —> William Tran

“She collects mermaids.” —> Taylor Black