Timeless Traditions: Mothering and Storytelling
Timeless Traditions: Mothering & Storytelling
Caroline Walker, Baby Layla, 2022 CarolineWalker.org
Hello, Art and Travel Lover,
In my spring newsletter, I mentioned that the audiobook version of The Art of Traveling Strangers would be coming soon.
I’m thrilled to tell you now that it’s arrived! And what better timing than Mother’s Day weekend?
For many of us, the first time we heard a story read aloud, it was from our mothers or the person in our lives who did the primary mothering. Reading out loud is one of the classic and most loving acts of nurturing, whether it’s to a child, friend, lover, or parent, the oral tradition of storytelling resonates deep within us.
So, with that connection in mind, I dedicate this edition of my newsletter to these two archetypal activities—mothering and storytelling.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Caroline Walker, Granny’s Hair Salon 2025
© Caroline Walker. Courtesy the Artist; GRIMM, Amsterdam/New York/London; Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh; and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York. Photo: Peter Mallet
Caroline Walker and the Art of Mothering
Caroline Walker, Daphne, 2021, © Caroline Walker. Courtesy the artist; Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York; GRIMM, Amsterdam / New York / London; and Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh. Photo by Peter Mall
Caroline Walker’s art exhibition, Mothering, is currently traveling in England, making it a perfect topic for this “Mother’s Day” newsletter.
The show brings together works Walker has made over the past five years with new paintings, large and small, exploring themes of motherhood and early-childhood care.
Caroline Walker, Lisa 2022 CarolineWalker.org
Mothering—outside the religious context of Mary, Christ’s mom—was rarely depicted in Western art until the nineteenth century. But when the secular topic of motherhood finally sparked some interest, it was painted almost exclusively by women whose works seldom reached the public eye. And when they did, those scenes of mothering were always small in scale.
Large paintings (6’x 8’ and up) were reserved for “important” subjects like history, religion, and classical mythology.
How topics like the genesis and sustenance of life could be considered unimportant, I’ll never understand!
When I first saw Caroline Walker’s painting, Night Feed 1 (shown on the right above), it immediately reminded me of Berthe Morisot’s The Cradle (on the left). Both paintings are small (about 20” x 15”) and both focus exclusively on an exhausted mother with her baby. These two quiet scenes convey the same intimate message of protective solitude and tender care. Both paintings also use few colors, choosing contrasting lights and darks instead to emphasize the essential, elemental role of mothers.
Done in 1872, The Cradle depicts Morisot’s sister with her new baby, making Berthe Morisot one of the first Impressionists to create a painting with a contemporary mother and child as its entire emotional focus.
Caroline Walker does the same thing in Night Feed 1 by painting her sister-in-law with her newborn in 2022—one hundred fifty years later.
Although the topic is timeless, it’s received little attention in Western art, making both these works cutting-edge despite the long time span between them.
“Walker’s works are radical in their unflinching interrogation and celebration of the realities of mothering, which has rarely found a place on gallery walls.”
Caroline Walker and Repose, 2022. Photo Source: https://artmag.co.uk/closeup-caroline-walker/
Walker’s work is also radical for the size of some of these intimate scenes, like the one shown above. In this photo, the artist is standing in front of her painting titled Repose (2022). Repose is 8’x 10’ and fills the entire background of this photograph.
At last, someone sees the importance of mothering!
For more about Caroline Walker and Mothering, go to:
The art of mothering: Caroline Walker’s Intimate Portraits of women at work
https://carolinewalker.org/
https://grimmgallery.com/artists/47-caroline-walker/
https://artmag.co.uk/closeup-caroline-walker/
For Your Listening Pleasure
Image from the L.A. Times Festival of Books, 2026.
The Magic of Storytelling
There’s nothing more magical than being read to. For many, it reminds us of a soothing bedtime ritual from childhood—that cherished moment when a loved one ignited our imaginations as we drifted off to sleep.
For others, hearing the human voice adds an emotional dimension that silent reading can’t provide.
And for some, listening to a story taps into something archetypal, something profoundly human and timeless—the tradition of oral storytelling.
Whatever the reason, I invite you, your family, and friends to listen to The Art of Traveling Strangers as Camrie Fletcher brings it to life through her unique interpretive voice.
You can get my audiobook at any of the links below. Happy listening!
Spotify
Libro
Everand
https://www.everand.com/audiobook/1030645150/The-Art-of-Traveling-Strangers
Apple
https://books.apple.com/gb/audiobook/the-art-of-traveling-strangers-unabridged/id1894964273
Google Play
Chirp
https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/the-art-of-traveling-strangers-by-zoe-disigny
Barnes & Noble
Audible
https://www.audible.com/search?keywords=The+art+of+traveling+strangers
About the Story
The Art of Traveling Strangers Audiobook Cover.
A Journey of Self-discovery and
Personal Empowerment
Bergie at the Ritz, Paris, 1985
If you aren’t familiar with The Art of Traveling Strangers or it’s been a while since you’ve read it, here are some insights about the story.
It’s part personal history (my experiences as an art tour guide in Europe) and part imagination. The photo above is from the personal part, but you’ll have to read or listen to the book to find out how it fits in.
Niki de Saint Phalle, The Guardian Angel, 1997, New Realism, Zurich Central Station, Switzerland, Wikimedia Commons
The Art of Traveling Strangers also weaves in the stories of famous artists and their artworks, like Niki de Saint Phalle (above image).
Saint Phalle is one of my protagonist Claire’s favorite female artists. She mentions her admiration for Niki’s life-affirming art in the first chapter of my book.
For more information about Niki, see my newsletter article — Beyond the Book: Niki de Saint Phalle.
Leonardo da Vinci, Isabella d’Este, 1500, High Renaissance, Florence, Italy
The artworks and artists explored in my book often provide revelations for both Claire and her eccentric traveling companion, Viv.
For example, in chapter 18, Claire conjures up Leonardo da Vinci’s drawing of Isabella d’Este (shown above) as she imagines herself to be that remarkable self-realized woman who was not only an intellect but also a head of state and a passionate patron of the arts.
For more information on Isabella, see my newsletter article — Beyond the Book: Isabella d’Este: A force to be reckoned with!
Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Slaying Holofernes, 1614-20 Baroque, Museo Capodimonte, Naples, Italy
Every road to self-discovery is fraught with complications, some of which demand the greatest of courage. And what better role models for female courage than the Biblical Judith as painted by the seventeenth-century artist Artemisia Gentileschi.
Against all odds, Judith’s violent act inspired her village to rise up and overthrow their oppressors. And also against all odds, Artemisia (who was raped by her art instructor) rose to became one of the first women to be accepted into the Art Academy in Florence.
For more on Artemisia see my newsletter article — Beyond the Book: Artemisia Gentileschi
Sound interesting to you? If so, I invite you to enjoy The Art of Traveling Strangers, now available in hardback, paperback, ebook, AND audiobook.
Thanks for joining me.
Until next time, ~Zoe
Copyright (C) 2026 Zoe Disigny Author. All rights reserved.
…and it is especially fitting that your very own Birthday falls on Mother’s Day this year! 🤗🥰🥳