As a child, I was disturbed by the lines on my mother’s stomach. Later, as a mother myself, I found... Read More
As a child, I was disturbed by the lines on my
mother’s stomach. Later, as a mother myself, I found similar wrinkles and marks
on my own belly and, studying them, began to see them as no longer ugly, but
symbolic of motherhood. I see beauty in these lines. Just as there is softness
in the breast, so too there is softness in the lines of childbirth.
I have now developed these ideas in a series of
drawings and paintings titled "Life-lines", reflecting the stretch marks
which connect women globally and through time.
These marks are evidence of the universal phenomenon of childbirth - an
experience which brings not only pain, but also joy and hope for the future.
The lines on my belly connect me with the childbirth experiences of my mother,
but also with all those other mothers throughout millennia and across numerous
cultures.
During the period of isolation enforced by the
Covid-19 pandemic - a time of separation from those we love because of an
invisible virus - I also began to think of these marks as the lines of
communication that connect all of us: the lines of essential supplies delivered
by transport and supermarket workers, the health-care and financial life-lines
that are supporting our communities.
