Tandem

With the Women in Art show being hung at YAH Gallery and a large project of mine finally finished, I have some time to reflect on the piece I completed a little more. 

Named Eileithyia (ee-lee-thee-uh) after the Greek goddess of childbirth and labor, she was known for aiding or hindering birth. This really reminded me of how labor can start and stop as well as feel overwhelming or manageable. The contrasts in the birth process are really powerful, and no two births are the same. 

What brought about this floral birth sculpture was wanting to embody those contrasts. The softness met with the gritty reality (hence my fascination with those blood-red stones). Often the media only depicts a rather skewed and fear-based impression of birth. 

The dramatic water break, rushing to the hospital, yelling and screaming, and suddenly a baby. When really, birth ebbs and flows so much more than this rushed and frightful depiction. 

I wanted to emphasize the vulnerability met with the strength birthing women can possess in a single extended moment. Birth is powerful, beautiful, bloody, sweaty, and raw. And through all of what an outsider may see or hear, the woman and her baby are working in tandem to birth a baby and a mother. 

As a doula, I’ve attended births where I’ve gotten to see women tap into their inner goddesses and work with their babies throughout the birth process. It’s moved me enough to want to focus on those moments and relationships in my art. I feel like I will be spending more time with this, creating a series honoring these women, their babies, and their inner goddesses. 

For those interested in purchasing Eileithyia, the $400 donation goes towards providing doula services to families in financial need. If you would like to learn more about what I do as a doula please feel free to visit my website jbdoula.com or my Instagram @jbdoulaservices. 

I want to continue to serve families as a birth worker and honor their experiences through the art I create. 

What feelings does Eileithyia evoke for you? Are you a mother, father, parent? Perhaps a sister or Aunt who witnessed a birth. Or even someone who hopes to one day have a child and go through the birth process. I hope there was something that resonated with you. 

Again, please check out the show! I’m so excited for the opening next week to see everything put together. I appreciate the space for women to come together and show what they can do. 

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Birthing & Creating!

JB