I give you a slightly darker version of the womb portal, to honor those darker days.

I am in a pretty dark place right now. I reread that and like the way it would sound if it were a place that’s both pretty and is also dark. It’s the inside of my womb. I am bleeding, expelling the life of a no longer viable fetus as I’m experiencing a “missed miscarriage”. Maybe this is an over share or maybe it’s my way of shedding the shame that lies within this space. The shame of not being enough, the shame of the past. The shame that my stomach hasn’t been flat and “sexy” for years. The shame of not being able to properly create life or even properly expel the death that I hosted here. Oh shame, how you have your grip on my body.

I’m not here just to make pretty pictures that you can share. It’s not all rainbows and sunshine and flowers. No. It’s also death, fear, shame, pain, blood and darkness. This is a pretty dark place. It can be pretty and it can be dark.

This artwork is a prayer to the sacred womb and to my sisters who share this sacred and spiritual experience. May it all be FREE of shame.
This pieces is available as. Gallery Wrapped Canvas in 4 different sizes.
September 30, 2023 — Lori Menna