Infocus: with artist Libby Haines
Self Portrait
“When I’m watching films I find myself trawling Wikipedia to find out if they are a Mum, and then if they are I feel a level of respect, thinking how much they must have orchestrated and balanced to get where they are.”
Libby Haines is an artist and mother of two residing in Naarm. She is proof that you CAN peak in your career with young kids, with both her boys under 5, barely moments apart in age. Sam, her partner, the boy's father, recently joined her artistic adventures assuming the role of in-house framer - a fully functioning family biz.
The two work, live, paint, frame, print, install, parent and cohabit together. It’s a unique dynamic, and yet they find a way to make handmade pasta and enjoy each’s company in the eve.
Libby’s art echoes her passion for food, using oils on canvas to showcase the movement and feeling of a shared meal. Sardinian summer nights, oysters, negronis and orange blossom cakes sprawled on gingham tablecloths remind you to slow down, keep it simple and enjoy life’s offerings. With her master classes about to go live at the NGV (huge) and a solo exhibition in Sydney, we are thrilled she will be telling her birth stories this September's Radiant Birth course. I’ll keep this interview less birth-focused, so if you want the insider birth goss, you’ll have to grab yourself a ticket! Ps don’t you think she looks a little like Bridget Bardot?
Tell me a bit about your career progression. Do you have a traditional arts practice? When did you start painting and knew you were onto something good?
Melbourne's first lockdown in 2020 coincided with me deciding to end my jewellery brand, that I had been operating for the last 6 years. I learnt SO much from running my own business, and despite some big successes with it, it was really hard to make a profit. When I finally decided to call it quits, it was bittersweet. I had studied Visual Arts at university years ago but hadn't painted properly in 12 years. By deciding to let go of the jewellery brand, it was like a creative hole opened up within me and felt the urge to start painting again. And once I started, something was really awakened in me, I hadn't felt so much passion and drive to create in a long time. I was home with the kids (both under 2 at the time) and almost overnight, painting was all I could think about. When I wasn't parenting all I wanted to do was make more art. I was setting myself goals to get a large painting done a week while in lockdown with no real end game aside that it gave me purpose and I was enjoying it. And lockdown kept going so I kept painting. I never could have dreamt it would result in this becoming my full time job. All I knew was that the joy it was bringing me was immeasurable.
Your success has really peaked in the past couple of years with young kids. Does your family drive you to work harder or do you think your rebirth inspired you to paint?
I think the constraints of motherhood meant I had little time to create, but LOTS of time to think about what I wanted to create. There was a level of frustration in me, I would find myself counting down until nap time, and then as soon as I had both boys down I would lunge at the paint palette.
Now that I am painting as a full time job, the hunger is still there but I am able to satiate it. I have a much better balance, when I’m with the kids I can be present and when I’m working I can throw myself into it wholeheartedly.
Food is everything - especially for a girl like you. Can you tell us about how important cooking is to you in the evening? What does dinner look like at your house?
Cooking, eating and painting are my coping mechanisms and my escape. The way I show affection, the way I express myself, the way I release stress. From the moment my kids wake up until they go to bed, it’s total chaos in our house. They are funny, cute AF, full of energy and all-consuming. So to have a delicious meal at the end of the day with Sam, is like a huge sigh of relief and the most satisfying way to end a day. I like to go pretty gourmet in the meals I cook, pasta made from scratch with several sides. We probably have 3 kind of fancy home-made dinners a week without the kids (who we feed earlier) and then a few family dinners in there too, which are more like shit-show dinners and not relaxing in the slightest. But obviously there is huge value in eating together, and hopefully we can instil our love of food and cooking in our kids.
Fave places you’ve travelled and eaten that have inspired your work.
Sadly, I haven’t travelled properly in YEARS. Lockdown, young kids, it just hasn’t been possible. All my exciting food moments the last few years have happened in the four walls of my house and restaurants in Melbourne. I’m hoping now that my children are older I will have more travel opportunities and therefore, more opportunities to eat food abroad!
Thoughts on co-parenting…
Sam and I co-parent. We are lucky enough to both work from home and we divide most of it down the centre. I do the painting, photography, website design etc, and Sam does the framing and the fine art printing. The parenting we sub in and out of, and find it really works being able to share this load.
I think for kids to see an equal amount of each parent and for parents to be able to support one another in the journey of parenting is really important. I know that a lot of people's lives and relationships aren’t set up for co-parenting, maybe one partner earns more and maybe there is a physical tie with breastfeeding. BUT, to prioritise finances and one partner’s career over another also means both of you are missing something. A lot of women take time off work to raise their kids, without super and sacrifice years out of the workforce. Then when they try and re-enter later in their lives it's usually with less pay and “behind” so to speak. I do blame capitalism and the patriarchy, these defined gender roles. I just wish sometimes people would let go of the notion that the person who is “at work” is working harder than the person that is at home with the kids. Daycare drop off and pick up, bath time, prepping the dinner, putting the washing away, weathering a huge tantrum- these things are a team effort and not the responsibility of one parent. Parenting doesn’t fit into 9-5 hours, it’s every hour of every day. It’s full time in the most real sense.
I know I have a very heteronormative lens from which I view family life and the privileged position of being my own boss, so my views are just one version of what a family can be.
Three words to describe your second birth.
Healing, beautiful, quick
What does the word mother mean to you?
Mother has so many cliches surrounding it, to define it seems nearly impossible. I know when I find out someone is a Mother I feel an instant kinship. When I’m watching films I find myself trawling Wikipedia to find out if they are a Mum, and then if they are I feel a level of respect, thinking how much they must have orchestrated and balanced to get where they are. I think Mothers are incredible. But being a Mother is such a deeply personal experience, so if someone proudly and wholeheartedly proclaims a stance that is different to what you’ve done, I think sometimes it can feel like an accusation of failure on your behalf.
If we chose to parent differently, does it actually matter? How can we possibly know who is doing it right and who is doing it wrong? What’s the ultimate result/outcome to know we’ve done the best thing? Should we all check in with each other in 60 years and see what kind of people our children have become so we can figure out who was right all along? I am learning to let go and just try and do my best, some days I feel like I’m killing it at motherhood and other days I feel like a total failure. I want to enjoy my kids and soak up these years when they are young because this time will be over before I know it.
You’ll be hosting art classes NGV Friday Nights Pierre Bonnard exhibition. What can we expect and where can we buy tickets to attend?
My first drawing class is this Friday July 14th at NGV Friday Nights, tickets are here:
https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/program/ngv-friday-nights-1407/
I’m also hosting a more intimate class on Tuesday August 9th, tickets for that are here:
https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/program/an-intimate-evening-with-bonnard-workshop-tour/
A simple recipe for parents ONLY.
SQUASH PASTA FOR TWO
4 Squash
Vegetable Oil
3 whole garlic cloves (preferably confit!)
Your favourite type of chilli
Olive oil
Orrecchiette (enough for two people)
½ cup of Fresh Ricotta
!/2 cup of freshly grated parmesan
Parsely
Method:
Thinly slice the 4 squash and sautee them in Vegetable Oil until soft and slightly browned. Set aside on paper towel and sprinkle with salt and handful of chopped parsley.
Heat olive oil in pan with garlic, salt, pepper, and your choice of chilli ( I like Calabrian Chilli paste)
At the same time put your pasta on to boil in salty water
Once the garlic etc is sizzling, add the squash. While the pasta cooks gradually add scoops of the pasta water to the pan of squash, to create a sauce, on simmering heat.
When the pasta is al dente, drain and add to the pan of squash- don’t stir the pasta through yet, let it sit on top of the sauce as it simmers. Sprinkle the pasta with a layer of parmesan cheese, pour another scoop of pasta water over the top. Leave for one minute, then once the parmesan starts to melt quickly mix the pasta throughout the squash mix so that the parmesan and sauce emulsifies.
Mix through half a cup of ricotta then serve!
Delicious with extra chilli oil, more parsley and parmesan toasted breadcrumbs!
Follow Libby’s Journey here:
https://www.instagram.com/libbyhainesart/
https://www.radiantbirth.com.au/shop/p/workshopsept23 (see her in real life at our September workshop).