Contact hand print, menstrual blood and acrylic on paper.
14 x 12 inches
Menstrual blood is fugitive, but the addition of acrylic is holding the color.
Many women have grown up with negative and shameful feelings about menstruation: that it is dirty, disgusting, and something that should not be discussed.
My approach is to affirm menstrual blood as sacred. A powerful substance, it is filled with energy: the power of creation. Menstrual blood is the first pigment.
I invest in menstrual blood my feelings about being female, and about the animal carnality of my body. The initial repulsion evolves into a celebration of these fluids. The body and spirit are then not split off from each other.
In Pagan cultures, a woman's menstruation was considered a cosmic event, connected to the moon and its' cycles and the tides. The only time blood was shed without wounding. This could be a time for introspection; in many cultures, women would isolate themselves, the better to hear one's inner voice.