I had the pleasure of getting to know artist Jennifer McNichols online when we were both included in an exhibition called Mothers at the Woman Made Gallery in Chicago.  Part of her series titled "Let Them Eat Cake" was included in the exhibition, and I had the pleasure of seeing it in person.  The series was inspired by her experiences with cesarean section birth and the emotional turmoil which followed.  Jennifer uses cake- a very traditional domestic item- to explore the complicated feelings which arose from her c-section.

The work which I saw in person at the show in Chicago was called "Self- Preservation."  It is a series of four mason jars with slices of white cake in each one.  The jars are each labeled with different words- "Betrayed, Failure, Empty, Powerless."  The delivery of the message is interesting.  Canning and preserving are a typically female occupation, and a very traditional one.  There's something banal and simple about canned items which contrasts powerfully with the messages.  The use of jars also suggests that these feelings are literally bottled up.

Several of her pieces employ the use of whole cakes as a metaphor for the human body.  Carved and Breached are two photographs which depict a cake which is carved or sectioned to mimic the actions on the human body in cesarean section.  There's a visceral quality to these works- the fondant icing mimics skin and there is a vulnerable quality to these cakes which cause one to almost identify with them as persons.  It's hard not to wince when looking at them, especially if you've experienced a c- section yourself.

This week I'm just writing a quick little feature on some lovely baby items.  If you're looking for Christmas gifts for a baby, look no further than Bonnie Baby.  It's an etsy site of hand made items by Bonnie Lynn Polnaszek.  Why shop at big box stores when you can buy at the source?  

My Pigeon House

My pigeon house I open wide
and I set all my pigeons free
They fly all around
and up and down
and they sit on the highest tree

and when they return from their merry merry flight
they close their eyes and they say goodnight
Carroo carroo carroo carroo carroo carroo carooo

Rachel Epp Buller is a feminist art historian, a print maker and a mother of three.  Her series "The Identity Series" are a beautiful, intricate series of prints based on the motif of a fingerprint.  Fingerprints figure very largely in the life of a mother- finger prints on the walls, on the windows and on mirrors become a part of our visual landscape.  If you were to look at our bodies with forensic dust under black light we would probably be covered with the imprints of our children.  I read somewhere that a small amount of our children's cells remain with us long after they're born and have grown.  We're forever imprinted.  

This series calls to light the identity of a mother as it's combined with and altered by the personalities of her children.  It's a complex portrait of what it means to be a mother- the occasional loss of self, but the gain of a bright new and complex self in relation to our children.

Buller references her own Mennonite background by using familiar quilt patterns to combine the elements of finger prints and portraits.  The quilt aesthetic draws us in to the comfort of the familiar, and makes reference to family and home.  Within the pattern we also see objects, outlines and forms- portraits of individuals mixed together.  I feel that the fingerprint outlines make some allusion to science and DNA while the quilt pattern speaks more of tradition.  I love the idea of a portrait combining different elements of one's family.  I feel it's true that we are all a pattern involving those who matter to us, and who influence our lives.  

Honestly.  Roller derby, motherhood, feminism... how could you possibly go wrong?  I saw Kate Wilhelm's portfolio and I was instantly drawn to it.  Obviously the photographs attract me partly because they reflect my own life and my own interests.  Each photograph depicts a woman decked in derby gear but set in her own home environment.  

I love the contrast of the derby women with their domestic scenes.  I love the juxtapostion of the derby gear with the softer qualities of home life.  I think these are actually a fascinating exploration of women- the complexity of what makes us female.  The most classic is the one below, which mimics the classic Madonna and Child theme but with derby gear and skates.  I love the contrast of hard and soft- the hard gear with soft breasts and soft babies.  I think it says a lot about who we are as women, the different aspects and contradictions of what makes us female.

These two remind me of classic family portrait paintings, especially the one below.  The family is pictured in their environment, stoic looks on their faces, and the incongruity of derby skates and coloured, dreaded hair.  I think it's wonderful.