Whistling Mother

In my interpretation of James Abbott McNeill Whistler's "Whistler's Mother", my work titled "Whistling Mother" depicts a stall owner (the eponymous whistling mother) taking a brief respite amidst the chaos of the wet market. She is happy and content with how far she has come with her humble vegetable stall, and currently opens it just to pass her time. Her wish is that future generations will continue to appreciate the wet market and never let it disappear from our cultural fabric.

Meet the Artist

Tess

Melbourne, Australia

Tess, a former Language Arts teacher, is currently an illustrator based in Melbourne, and she loves creating comics! She grew up reading comics like Beano, and watching cartoons like the Looney Tunes classics, and later, those produced by Studio Ghibli. These made her strongly believe in the draw of visual storytelling as a way to touch the hearts of people of all ages. She gathers most of her inspiration from her personal life, and channels that into her comics which reflect the joyful ups and hilarious downs of her life. She enjoys finding the silver linings in these moments, and uses her art as a vehicle to bring hope and laughter to her readers as we all navigate through life. Since embarking on this creative journey three years ago, Tess has illustrated three children's books, and a commemorative publication commissioned by Clementi Primary School (Singapore). She also has had her work displayed in a joint art exhibition, For Art's Sake: Shaken & Stirred, held in Singapore (2021 and 2023). In 2022, she launched her first autobiographical comic book, Ms Moe's Woes, about her life as a teacher. Right now, she is working on another semi-autobiographical comic book, which is currently a secret! When she is not drawing, she finds herself baking all sorts of yummy goodies in the kitchen.

More artwork by Tess