Following her Embodied Cycles collection, which explored cyclical living and used the menstrual cycle as a guide to support women’s wellbeing, Jules is now beginning a new body of work centred on motherhood and the transformative journey of becoming a mother. Framed through a cyclical lens, this collection mirrors the seasons and unfolds across four creative phases: Ideas, Holding, Birthing, and Pleasure.

During her residency, Jules will develop a series of sketchbook studies that explore each phase of matrescence, the physical, emotional, and psychological transition into motherhood. Drawing from personal reflections and symbolic imagery, these studies will lay the foundation for a collection of larger mixed-media pieces. These works will incorporate photography from her own experiences, including images of pregnancy and life with her children, allowing for deeper, layered exploration.

This residency will form the heart of her upcoming collection, Motherhood. A Journey of Becoming, which combines visual art and creative resources to support mothers through the complex landscape of matrescence. At its core, the collection emphasises the importance of recognising mental health challenges and making space for mothers to reconnect with themselves amid the beauty and chaos of motherhood.

Jules is using the creative cycle as a framework for this work. Over time, she has come to understand the phases as follows:

• Ideas – Exploring themes that underpin the residency: matrescence, mental health, identity shifts, grief, and the journey from maiden to mother.

• Holding – A reflective phase focused on pregnancy and the inner vision of what motherhood might be.

• Birthing – Covering a range of experiences: birth, birth trauma, shifting expectations, and the emergence of the mother alongside the baby.

• Pleasure – Honouring the glimmers of joy and grounding moments in early motherhood, the small, sweet spots that nourish wellbeing and remind us how far we’ve come.

About the Artist

Jules Rimer is a mother, maker, and multidisciplinary artist whose work explores the cyclical nature of women, earth, and creativity. Moving fluidly between intuitive, playful abstracts and symbolic illustration, Jules uses art as a means of self-exploration and storytelling. Her work is deeply rooted in themes of motherhood, feminine power, and natural rhythms, drawing inspiration from the seasons, the body, and the beauty found in everyday moments. Working primarily in mixed media and digital illustration, Jules layers pattern, mark-making, mandalas, and bold, joyful colour to create vibrant, emotionally resonant pieces. Her sketchbook is a space for raw, honest experimentation, while her final artworks translate these explorations into intentional, reflective pieces. Jules believes creative expression is a powerful tool for grounding, healing, and connection to ourselves, to each other, and to the wider world. Through her work, she invites others to pause, feel, and embrace the full spectrum of being human, both the beauty and the mess.