Art about pregnancy and miscarriage: why I paint this
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Pregnancy is hope.
But sometimes it's also loss.
For several years, we've wished for a third child. During those years, we experienced multiple miscarriages. That brings everything to a halt. And at the same time, life just goes on.
This is how it eventually found its way into my work.
This series originated from that
Not as a grand statement.
But because I had to create something that wasn't there yet.
Art about pregnancy without only showing the beautiful side.
There are many images of pregnancy. Often soft, light, round, and happy.
That's also true.
But it's not the whole story.
What you see in these works
In this series, I paint pregnant women as silhouettes. Sometimes with a child in their arms. Sometimes with a landscape or flowers incorporated into the body, as a form of double exposure.
It shows what is already there, and what is not yet.
Hope and loss side by side.
Why Gouda recurs in my work
In the first work of the series, you see the city of Gouda. The city hall, the Weigh House, the market. Not as decoration, but as part of the body.
Gouda is woven into my life.
This is where we live. This is where our children grew up. This is where I created these works. This is also where the loss took place.
By incorporating the city into the silhouette, it became personal without being literal.
Gouda is woven into my life.
This is where we live. This is where our children grew up. This is where I created these works. This is also where the loss took place.
By incorporating the city into the silhouette, it became personal without being literal.
Painting in layers
These works are built up in layers.
First loose acrylic paint. Large areas. Movement. That's how the base is created.
Then more and more details.
And when the painting is almost complete, I continue with oil paint.
That final phase is calmer. Slower. That's where the depth comes in.
You cannot rush what needs time.
Unconditional love before it exists
The series is called Unconditional Love.
For me, that's about love that already exists, even before something is tangible.
About making space for something you can't hold.
About continuing, even when you don't know how it will end.
They are not heavy works.
They are quiet.
Who is this art for?
I don't make this only for people who have experienced loss.
I make it for people who:
- know what it feels like to hope
- recognize something in vulnerability
- seek space for gentleness
- want something in their home that is more than decoration
Sometimes I get asked if this work is suitable as a gift.
That depends on the moment.
But when it's right, it's deeply right.
Finally
This series emerged from something I still carry within me.
From multiple miscarriages.
From hope that is allowed to grow gently again and again.
From love that already exists, even if you can't hold it yet.
The larger paintings are still in development. Some works currently only exist as paper versions. I find that I need time to build them up layer by layer. Just as the process itself goes layer by layer.
Perhaps you recognize something in this story.
Perhaps you are just watching along.
Do you want to be the first to see how this series continues to grow?
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On Instagram, I regularly share small moments from the studio. Not perfect, but real.
You are welcome to follow along.
About my work
I create handmade paintings and fine art prints about pregnancy, loss, hope, and unconditional love, from my studio in Gouda.