TobyAnne Stanley

“When I was giving birth to my son, I had a veritable entourage of attendees, including,
but not limited to, my mother and sister. I brought two art cards of my mother’s work
with me to give myself something to focus on during labour. I expected to use “Sister
Moon” more than “Winter’s Cup” because to me it is my mother as a young woman. It
is probably my favourite piece of hers and I wanted her with me on many levels for the
grand event. However, to my surprise, it was the image of myself that I clung to. The
one of me conveying utter determination and strength, clothed in old finery, raising a
chalice above my head while I literally manifested and birthed good things from
within. It became, in those trying hours, a vital source of power for me. I see the
picture differently now. “Winter's Cup” as my mother created it has found a life of its
own, far from the one she ever imagined. In the end, this is perhaps the greatest
achievement of an artist, of a mother, that their work moves beyond them, becoming
for the viewer a source of truth and beauty with new stories to tell….”
― TobyAnne Stanley, Faye: The Art of Melissa Mary Duncan