Origination, 2023
Fetal network flowers in the placenta was the first drawing I made after giving birth that wasn't an observational sketch from life. I wanted to begin to explore my inner world and rearranged psyche from maiden to mother: how it felt now that my existence was so wrapped up with another being's. The inspiration for this drawing was a diagram of the placental villis in the placenta. I couldn't believe the treelike/flowerlike form and the complete adherence of one vein to the other; it is stunning. The oneness of two cords felt like a perfect visual representation of how I was feeling, utterly intertwined.
How fascinating and overwhelming that our bodies grow an organ, acting as the "body mother" to sustain life inside of us.
This drawing opened up a new realm of exploration: I began making work about spaces that cannot be seen directly, that are hidden (such as the womb and underground). I am encountering these spaces through imagination.
In this series Origination I am imagining the cellular forms and shapes that emerge and combine as a life is created. I am considering the relationship of sustainer/nurturer and recipient. Many of the drawings are made almost entirely with one connected line. I was thinking about the umbilical cord and the metaphorical line that runs through and connects all life. The umbilicus connecting everything to its origin, an the womb/mother (/artist/gods/heart?) as source.