My largest piece of art to date and the first of a series of works I have had up my sleeves on themes of blood, life cycles and identity in my own life as a female. These are highly personal works I have been contemplating and planning for several years.
The dilation of the cervix is the first layer of this work. I wanted to represent visually how the cervix dilates from 1cm to 10cm before a baby is born. This is not rigid or set in stone in reality. The cervix can dilate at different speeds and it is not exact.
The circles are drawn with a compass to scale and intersect with each other. This is to show the relationship between the cervix and the intensity and rhythmic nature of contractions. These work with the body to open the cervix further during the birthing process. The changes in colour tones, from the lightest of pink, through to reds and purples, symbolises the intensity of pain felt, the bleeding which continues many days after birth, and is also linked to the menstrual bleeding of many women – light pink spotting through to full flow and menopausal clotting.
I repeated the dilation circles within the larger, outer circle to emphasise how the physical act of child birth feels like a radiating, pulsating, primal energy emitting from the body. It is an energy and pain with a purpose of course. It is incredibly powerful, almost hypnotic and life changing as well as life giving.
The largest circle was drawn with a traditional pencil and string compass on the floor of my old studio. It was then divided into 4 and each dilation diagram drawn with a compass on the lines.
I wanted to continue the theme of circles by including the Seed of Life symbol. Circles represent the cyclical nature of our world and life within it. The Seed of Life is a symbol associated in many cultures throughout history and the world with creation. The geometric structure of seven equal intersecting circles follows the principles of maths which we see in nature.
I originally experimented with inks and created what were going to be representations of blood. However, upon experimenting more, these shapes developed into more organic bulb like root systems with leaves emerging. Initially I created these in ink, then watercolour then led by something outside of me, rendered them with coloured pencil to give them the realism, textures, and the depth and richness of colour I wanted them to have.
These bulb like creations link into my coming work on life cycles and bulbs. They speak of emergence, creation, fragility, tenderness and entanglement linked together by their root systems.
