The Water Birth

This is a double exposure illustration of a mother in labor. The red layer shows a lotus accompanied by lily pads to hover her while she is standing in a mandala puddle to prepare for the birth of her child.

The blue layer shows her skeleton holding the baby close to her hips in a larger mandala puddle. She is standing in an atmosphere of water with a transparent ribbon tethering the two realities together.

I combined baby pictures with other photographs of mothers and skeletal studies for those who lost their ultrasounds.

I’ve been really excited about this illustration because I was inspired to do double exposure 5 years ago during my first (and final) year at SUNY FIT. I was a bit more ambitious than my capabilities and resources allowed, but now I’m aiming to combine skeletal studies with ultrasounds; I’m hoping this will give my illustrations another layer of depth. If you asked me, a few years ago, if I’d ever make something like this, I would have said “computer art isn’t art because the real skill is what you can do with your hands.” I’m very happy that I’ve humbled myself and started learning to extend my artistry to other regions.

Catherine is a very spiritual person and she has a very mindful demeanor wherever she carries herself. In fact, one thing I noticed about her was her space and the energy which she intentionally let flow throughout her home. A collective theme was present: visually stimulating patterns, mandalas, and Buddhist imagery. She often spoke of chakras and places carrying gender that trapped the collective energies of their hosts. I didn’t understand then, but as I grew, I drew more analogies and saw how my experiences were related to the themes she introduced that I just considered “interesting.”

It wasn’t till after I became a mother that I was enlightened about the sacredness of surrendering the ego by sacrificing my place in line with the present. I sincerely think personal growth is on a spectrum and I know I still have a long way to go, but I look to other mothers, like Catherine, who are honest and true. This image deserves Catherine’s vigor and grace. I’m so glad I was able to fall in love with this piece.