Birthing: The Woman Giving Birth Sculpture
Though I personally gave birth to two sons via C-section, making this sculpture is my way of connecting with the deeper, primal experience of birthing that all birth giving mothers experience, with the broader understanding that each of us experiences it differently. Birth is about transformation, strength, and surrender, and this is what I aimed to express through this piece. The Birthing sculpture is an exploration of that essential, primal experience.
The Inspiration Behind Birthing
Birthing (the birthing sculpture) is an abstract, tactile sculpture that captures the transformative process of a woman giving birth. Made from CosClay, a flexible material often used for masks and small sculptures, this piece invites viewers to not only observe but also interact with the sculpture by holding and exploring it with their hands. At the heart of this work lies the emotional and physical intensity of childbirth, expressed through a contorted, abstracted form.
The inspiration for the Birthing sculpture came from a video I watched about an artist-in-residence program at a school, which the artist said took place 40 years ago. The artist instructed students to create figures with faces and then craft masks for those faces. A 10-year-old girl in the group made a figure of a woman giving birth, along with two masks—one happy and one confused—that could be swapped between the mother and the baby. This profoundly moved me. The duality and complexity of emotions captured by a such a young girl deeply resonated with me as both a mother and an artist.
It was after watching this video that I felt the urge to explore the process of birthing through my own art. I decided to let the muse lead me and see where it would take me. (For me, the work is the muse. That is my personal motto with respect to my art.) I didn’t want to simply create a realistic figure; I wanted to express the deeper, more animalistic and instinctual aspects of childbirth. Thus the birthing sculpture.
Life Casting: A Tactile Experience
The idea of creating a tactile art piece was influenced by a class I took in the 1990s on Life Casting—the process of creating plaster casts from molds made of faces. The artist-instructor, whose name I regretfully don’t recall, had an exhibit at the Irving Art Center in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and I attended. The life casts on display were of a wide array of famous people, and they were intended to be touched. I remember touching President Gerald Ford’s face, which was huge, and then comedian Whoopi Goldberg’s. I remember touching the torso of a ballerina, and my hands can still recall the sensation.
But the cast that moved me most was of Robin Williams. When I touched his face, I was overwhelmed with emotion and tears came to my eyes. This was long before his tragic death, so I don’t know why I felt such an immediate and intense connection–I was a fan, but that moment showed me how much his crazy hilarity meant to me. The experience was profound, and it had a lasting impact. Years later, after completing my 100 Faces Portrait Project, my husband bought me a copy of the same life cast of Robin Williams as a reward. Though I can touch it now whenever I want, it has never moved me as much as it did during that first encounter in the 1990s. What moves me now, is the full circle it represents.
This experience reinforced the power of tactile art—how physically interacting with a piece can evoke unexpected emotions and deepen our connection to it. This concept influenced Birthing, my birthing sculpture, as I wanted it to be more than just a visual piece. I wanted it to be something people could hold, touch, and connect with on a personal level.
The Creation Process
The result is Birthing sculpture, a small sculpture that can be held in your hands. It’s abstracted to the point where it doesn’t resemble a specific, realistic woman, because I wanted to focus on the transformation and intense focus that childbirth requires. Childbirth is not just a physical act—it’s an emotional and mental experience that involves contortions of both the mind and body. I worked with CosClay, a material that remains flexible even after it has cured. This flexibility felt like a perfect metaphor for childbirth—the process is intense and difficult, but it also requires a certain softness, adaptability, and resilience.
The tactile nature of Birthing fits seamlessly with my overall vision for the project. The flexible clay invites the viewer to touch and interact with the sculpture, making it a more personal and intimate experience. The size of the piece, designed to be held in the hand, enhances this personal connection, as you can feel the curves and textures that represent the struggle and beauty of birth.
Why Tactile Art Matters
I believe that tactile art adds a new layer of engagement for the viewer, creating an intimate, hands-on connection to the artwork. In the case of Birthing, touching the sculpture becomes a way to explore the emotions and complexities of childbirth in a more immersive way. The physical act of holding and feeling the piece allows viewers to connect with the theme of birth on a deeper level. This interactive quality is especially meaningful in a piece like this, where the subject matter is deeply personal and universal at the same time.
The Abstracted Woman
The decision to abstract the woman in this sculpture was deliberate. I didn’t want the piece to be a literal representation of a woman giving birth. Instead, I wanted to focus on the transformation and the primal, animalistic energy that often comes with the birthing process. The figure’s form is twisted and contorted, symbolizing the immense effort, both physical and mental, that childbirth requires. While it doesn’t resemble a real-life woman exactly, it expresses the intense focus, power, and vulnerability that every birthing person experiences.
Exploring Birthing
If you’re interested in tactile art or pieces that invite deeper emotional exploration, Birthing is a unique sculpture designed to be both a visual and physical experience. Its flexible nature, intimate size, and abstract form make it a distinctive addition to any art collection, particularly for those who appreciate art that tells a personal and transformative story.
You can explore more about Birthing and other works by visiting my gallery. To stay updated on new pieces and receive insights into my creative process, consider joining my email list.