The path to motherhood is a definite yes for some, a murky maybe for others and a hard no for the rest.

Colorado Springs artist Jen Meyer was in the maybe column until her mid-30s, when time suddenly didn’t seem so endless, and she wanted to make a choice before it was made for her. She interviewed every woman she knew, whether they were married, single, parents or not, and asked why they chose parenthood.

“I knew I would have to convince my husband. And I had to convince myself, too,” Meyer said. “In the end, I decided I wanted to experience the mother-child bond and love.”

Her new exhibit, “Mother,” is a reflection of motherhood through collage, a new medium for her. The show opens with a free reception on Friday at Surface Gallery. It runs through July.

The gallery will also open “The Tea House,” an installation by Jacqueline Viola Moulton, and “Blur: At the Intersection of Art and Design,” with works by Caroline Clark, Luke Flowers, Michael Heath, Ryan Putnam and Jesse Taylor.

It took four years to get pregnant after Meyer and her husband decided to leap, and they had a son when she was 40. She knew motherhood meant her life as an artist would change, that she’d lose time and freedom, but a friend gave her advice.

“She was a successful artist with two boys, and showed up in the studio every day,” Meyer said. “She said art will always be there for you. This window of time to have a baby will not always be there.”

In her pre-child life, Meyer was a longtime painter whose work had been exhibited internationally. But now, post-child, she’s still working to find a rhythm to her artistic process. There hasn’t been time to paint much in the last seven years since she had a child, but there has been space to create in a different medium. The new exhibit will feature her first collaged pieces and her first new pieces since becoming a mother.

“It (motherhood) changed what the work means,” she said. “It’s making me think about what’s important and what’s worth spending time on. Regardless of what’s happening in my life, that artist in me is always there and always needs to be creating. It’s OK if things take a back seat for a while and I can fully enjoy the young years before he gets independent.”

Her new works were inspired by two books: one that featured one rose per page, and a book of bears that depicted the life cycle of the animals.

“These are all mother bears calling their young, standing there with nipples dripping milk, eating and sustaining themselves and their babies,” Meyer said. “It was so parallel to my life as a mother.”

For Meyer, flowers, especially roses, serve as a metaphor for what women cultivate: relationships and memories. And the complex blooms are tender and offer comfort, but are also sharp and hardy.

“Those represent womanhood and the passage of time. Because I’m middle-aged now, it seems the flowers are past their prime in the paintings, but still beautiful, and it’s reminding us that beauty isn’t fixed and it’s continually evolving.”

Her scissors rose to the occasion, and the beautiful images evolved into a new artistic form.

“Motherhood is not just a human experience, it’s a tireless rhythm woven into the living world.”

If you go

What: “Mother,” works by Jen Meyer; “The Tea House,” installation by Jacqueline Viola Moulton; “Blur: At the Intersection of Art and Design,” works by Caroline Clark, Luke Flowers, Michael Heath, Ryan Putnam and Jesse Taylor

When: Opening reception 5-9 p.m. Friday, through July

Where: Surface Gallery, 2752 W. Colorado Ave.

Price: Free; surfacegallerycos.com