Birth, Pregnancy and a ‘Starry Starry Night’

 I was on fire last night and began not ONE, but three paintings about pregnancy, birth and motherhood.

This is almost unheard of for me since I usually get distracted after the kids are finally asleep and barely have the energy to keep my eyes open, let alone get creative.  But this painting ~ this one just came out full throttle.

And honestly, I meant to paint another subject entirely!  Don’t even know what happened, but I am pretty excited about it.

 The nice thing about this piece is that I have finally realized how it takes on multiple meanings.  For example, I may have painted this image with a distinct intention of symbolizing stillbirth, because that is my personal experience.  The woman bathing in the ocean, intimately reaching out to the spirit that has just left her body while she still holds the baby within.  However, this image could also mean something very different.  Perhaps, to another viewer, it could be a woman touching the Holy Spirit as she accepts the grace of a child that is about to enter the world.  Or it could mean the soul of an infant that is about to be born.  Perhaps this piece will symbolize a twin loss . . . a mother cradling one baby within her womb as another leaves too soon.

And then I got to thinking. . . I am a bit of a birth junkie.  I have had more than your normal woman’s experiences with birth.  I have attended 3 births as well as experienced 5 of my own!  I have a wonderful friend who is a doula and I a mother who was a career Labor and Delivery Nurse.  I have had three planned home births {one water birth, one hospital transport and one normal ~ ahem, 10 lb. 13 oz ‘o’ natural thank you very much!}.  I have had two planned hospital births as well.  One very peaceful and beautiful birth (stillbirth) with Amelia who was born ‘in the caul’ and one emergency ‘c-section’ for a complicated breech.

I have pretty much had all kids of birth experiences ~ except the multiple thing. . . which won’t happen in my lifetime.  Perhaps (says the former therapist),  this is part of my reason for painting pregnancy over and over again.  I am in love with it.  And I think that as an educated woman who has had the blessing of seeing life begin and end in the span of birth ~ I hold these things as sacred.   Birth, no matter how complicated, simple, tragic or normal will always hold a place of awe and wonder in my heart.

And with this really long and drawn out explanation, I want to share with you my newest painting ‘Starry Starry Night’ which is available in my new SHOP!  This is an ORIGINAL Painting but will also be available in print if interested.

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