Belly, breast, face, brain, milk ducts, placenta, oil, acrylic medium, aqua resin,
epoxy resin on linen over panel
Copyright 2022, Loie Hollowell. All Rights Reserved

Visualizing Birth returns again to the important birth art of Loie Hollowell (see also Visualizing dilation and birth in the art of Loie Hollowell and Visualizing Pregnancy in the at of Loie Hollowell). Hollowell’s Belly, breast, face, brain, milk ducts, placenta, while abstract, as is much of her other work, also offers the viewer representational features such as breasts, faces, brain, and embryonic images. The colors, which are both warm and cool, are calming to look at and invite the views to explore the bodily forms.

For those who are pregnant, there is a voluptuousness in the shapes that Hollowell creates, reminding them of their own multifaceted bodies, which hold so many capabilities during pregnancy and the postpartum period. The breasts are the nurturers of life, and the faces in Hollowell’s image appear to suckle. All of the forms are brought together towards the bottom center of the panel at the red focal point, which could be the vulva or womb. The maternal brain is a fascinating organ, its special plasticity written about, connected to the physiological processes of pregnancy and birth, as well as the processes of bonding during the postpartum period. 

This particular piece actually stands out three dimensionally, which is not apparent from this version of the image. A video on Instagram shows Hollowell’s image more fully, revealing that the blue mound protrudes from the panel.

More of Loie Hollowell’s works may be seen on her website or through the Pace Gallery.