Heather Owens: House Party

Heather Owens in her own words on House Party,

“Becoming a stay-at-home mother to first one son, and then a second son three years later, I started seeing an increasingly absurdist quality to the act of keeping house and maintaining a family. When I spend quality time playing and reading with my children, the house descends into a roiling chaos of toys, laundry, dishes, and a general film of dirt that overlays every surface. When I spend the day cleaning to achieve a sense of order, I go to bed feeling like I haven’t seen my children at all. The balance point, at least for me, is almost impossible to find.

Additionally, in trying to make my children good members of the family team, I’ve found myself cycling through a series of games to make cleaning appear SUPER FUN!! That may include songs, dancing and races, dialing back races to avoid getting too competitive, reinstating races because my older kid really likes to win, and screaming in frustration.

The best days are when I can successfully allow myself to get folded into that inevitable chaos without feeling overwhelmed; but more often, I find myself berating a five-year-old for dumping out ALL the Hot Wheels cars (again), or bemoaning a sea of couch cushions, dinosaurs, and crackers that used to be the floor.

With House Party, I am seeking the joy and irony in being a stay-at-home parent, finding celebration in the mundane, and embracing the disorder in all its exuberance and despair.”

Heather Owens, Pink Banana, Mixed media