A few years ago, after reaching some level of recovery from long term anxiety and a more acute version of postpartum depression and anxiety, I decided to create art that reflected this deeply emotional process for me. The first art piece I created was an expression of my journey through pregnancy and postpartum depression. It inspired me to create a whole collection of work, giving voice to more women and their emotional experience of pregnancy and the transition to motherhood.
“an expression of my journey through pregnancy and postpartum depression”
In 2016, I completed the “Journey to Motherhood” collection, including the experiences of 20 unique women. Each silhouette is filled with the words of one woman and hand colored with a unique combination of soothing jewel tones. Together, these twenty pieces speak to the wide range of emotions we feel individually as women becoming mothers and also to the vastly different experiences we have on this journey.
Now, in 2020, I am revisiting some of these silhouettes and creating one of a kind mixed media creations. I love to play with color and ink and metallics to create wholly new expressions of emotion and beauty. It’s important to me to share my journey and also to give voice to the great depth of feelings—good, bad, and ugly—that come along with this journey to motherhood.
I’d like to ask for your help. Would you send me your list of words? It can be anonymous and I would be honored to hear from more women and include more voices in this ever growing collection of work. It’s important to normalize these feelings and to be united as a tribe of women as we come to this transformative moment in our lives.