MOMS by Carol Es, 1974

My very first Artist's book ever!

MOMS a child's book by Carol Es - Cover image of a mom in pencil and crayon

MOMS 1974: I made this for my mother after she returned home from the mental hospital in 1974. I was six years old. This thing is in pretty bad shape because my mother did not take very good care of such things. For many years it was kept in a old suitcase, along with a pile of old letters and photographs until I finally took the suitcase home with me shortly after my parents passed away. For children's art, I think it's pretty darn good.

After Mom came back from the psychiatric ward we were told to be very careful with her - to act nice and pretty much walk on eggs shells with her. I was always making nice things for her anyway, but nothing I made her ever mattered because she was far too paranoid despite the treatment back then and never believed she was loved. I don't think she felt loved until she was in old age and needed us to take care of her and was in her fist stages of dementia.

I created this book with scrap paper, pencil, and pink and yellow crayons. Then I bound it with Scotch tape. Not too shabby for a seven year-old. If only I had a spell check, I'd be golden. I got the idea for this format from a greeting card I couldn't afford to buy for her. I remembered it and decided to build a book with several pages with my own made-up scenarios and this is what I came up with. It was also made to appeal to my mom's dark sense of humor.

NOT FOR SALE  

MOMS a child's book by Carol Es - Page 1: a mom in a dunce cap. MOMS a child's book by Carol Es - Page 2: a lazy mom and a dressed up mom. MOMS a child's book by Carol Es - Page 3: a mom playing baseball. MOMS a child's book by Carol Es - Page 4: a mom shooting her child. MOMS a child's book by Carol Es - Page 5: a fat yellow mom. MOMS a child's book by Carol Es - Page 6: a mom eating flowers. MOMS a child's book by Carol Es - Page 7: a mom Xing out a heart (love). MOMS a child's book by Carol Es - Page 8: a drunk mom. MOMS a child's book by Carol Es - Page 9: a beautiful mom with angel wings.