water & birth/ blood & fear are a series of drawings that aim to capture ideas related to the birth of Naoise. The drawings have been made using pen, ink, pencil and paint. Blown marks expand, burst and pop onto the surface of the paper. While making these marks I was thinking about eggs, fertilisation, control, and lack of control in the conception of a child. About blowing soap bubbles through my hands to entertain my children at bath time.
Elemental colours have been used, blue for water, red for blood, the white of the paper for the body and flesh of the birthing woman. The amorphous body depicted reaches to the very perimeters of the paper, breasts and nipples touch the edges to convey ideas of the body seeping into the water and space of the birthing pool, the flesh of the body and water becoming one. Circular graphical motifs feature throughout to symbolise the passing of time and represent life cycles. Lines and arrows are used to create tension within the work and relate to painful contractions felt in labour.
