Dina and Sawyer, conte crayon and gold leave on paper
Copyright 2010, Kate Hansen, All Rights reserved.

In this image, we see the mother, Dina, and her son, Sawyer, both adorned with sacred haloes. Hansen sacralizes the bond between mothers and their children in her paintings, indicating that there is a sacredness to the human experiences of birth and mothering. This image is part of Hansen’s Madonna and Child Project, and all of those paintings depict a wide variety of both women, children, and birthing experiences. Pregnant women should view the range of paintings, all of which will empower them as they prepare to give birth and become mothers.

I have previously written about using Hansen’s work in the visualization of birth here and here.  She is also one of the artists featured in my academic publications (see chapters with Demeter Press and Routledge, as well as my book Imagery, Ritual, and Birth [Lexington Books, December 2018]).

Kate Hansen has an academic and studio background in art.  She currently resides with her family in Courtenay on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada, and has exhibited her work in Chicago, Toronto and in Courtenay.  She may be contacted or more of her artwork may be seen through her website.