I recently visited The Cincinnati Art Museum and the Taft Museum of Art  for a magazine assignment. Even though they are both in my backyard, I hadn’t been to either in quite some time.

What’s interesting about visiting art museums is that the pieces you’re drawn to always reflect what’s going on in your life. I’m pretty sure I’ve never really been drawn to all those gorgeous pictures of mothers with children, but this time, their energy practically reached out and grabbed me the minute I walked into the gallery.
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See what I mean? That's Mary Cassatt's "Mother & Child" (1889).

And then there are these from Potthurst (can't remember the first name) from 1915 ("Playmates" and "Brother and Sister.") The second one reminds me so much of Max & Georgia, I want to cry.

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I also love this  one, mostly for its name "Patty-cake." It's from the 1850s, and I think the artist is Spencer (again, no first name; I was jotting down furiously!)
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This one, a sculpture by Harriet Frishmuth,  just made me happy. That silhouette is amazing.  I think it speaks to the former gymnast in me.
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And this massive beauty (Alexander Calder, “Twenty Leaves on an Apple,” 1946) is what I imagine the inside of my brain looks like sometimes, little chirps of color swirling around. And I want to marry that aqua blue background.

 
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 It was the same story at the Taft Museum (if you are ever in Cincinnati, don’t miss this one—it’s wonderfully quaint, and they have a Rembrandt, one of only two in Ohio I believe!)

This first one is "Sewing School at Katwijk" (1881), by a Dutch artist I forgot to write down (I mean, of course I'm going to spot the sewing one, right?) Sorry about the glare.

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And then I saw these two. The first one is by Jean-Francois Millet (man, she looks tired--I have been there) and I just snapped the second one and didn't write anything down.
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So, now I'm feeling inspired (and very maternal!). I sometimes forget that looking at art is a great way to get the creative juices stirred up. I'll leave you with this, the stunning Chihuly chandelier that hangs inside the entrance to the Cincinnati Art Museum.
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