A mother is breastfeeding her son in this painting made with abstract brushwork from red, gold, orange and green. I did not plan to show a mother nursing, however when a friend lent me pictures of her and her son, I thought it fit the painting.

Created in an acrylic painting of reds and oranges with green highlights, the giant Pacific octopus is the largest of all octopuses and lives the longest, which is only 4 years. Two thirds of an octopuses neurons can be in it's arms, allowing it to “think” with it's limbs; hardly a surprise from the most intelligent invertebrate.

Baby giant Pacific octopuses start hatching from their egg capsules, with one youngster getting a closer look at her mom's eye in this ocean painting. Most octopus mothers die caring for their young; they stop eating to protect and wave fresh oxygenated water over their eggs.

“Motherhood” is a painting showing that humans are not the only species to care for their young; in fact, even invertebrates like octopuses care deeply for their children, despite there being thousands of them. As the octopus occupies the top of the painting, I used one of it's arms to swoop down the painting in an “s” shape, supporting the woman and her son.

My acrylic painting “Motherhood” as a work in progress in a studio in the amazon jungle. This was one of several paintings I did during my residency at Sachaqa Centro de Arte in San Roque de Cumbaza, Peru.