What is it that we find so riveting about roller derby girls breastfeeding?

Perhaps it's the contrast.  The idea of rollerderby, the fact it's a contact sport and a little bad-ass, combined with the soft, nurturing role of breastfeeding mother.  It's also an archetypal image- the Madonna and Child image- but with a twist.  It's slightly subversive to combine the image of a full contact sport with the role of motherhood, especially breastfeeding.  Even the visual contrast of the hard equipment with the softness of breastfeeding is interesting.  It's wonderful, because it questions our notions of what women are, and what it means to be female.

Blister Sister and Scarlet by Kate Wilhelm

I included the above photo in my Sunday Feature on Kate Wilhelm.  Wilhelm herself writes: "Derby throws any notions of femininity in your face.  Yet many derby girls are mothers, (perhaps the ultimate "feminine" vocation), and the bouts are extremely family friendly.  Immediately I wanted to get to know more about the women behind the derby personas.  So, I invited myself into their homes, their private domestic spaces, the arena that is historically and culturally seen as women's space.  I want the apparent incongruity of a derby girl in a domestic setting to cause the viewer to think about that incongruity and wonder if it is perhaps nothing more than a construct." 

I love these images because they broaden our idea of what it means to be a woman.  These women are all strong and a little dangerous, but undeniably female and maternal as well.  It shows different layers and facets of what it means to be female.  It also shows a unique perspective on breastfeeding, and the more breastfeeding images we have out there the less likely it will be taboo.

With November at an end I know that Movember Mustaches will be trimmed as well.  I decided to put a call out to my fansite to preserve at least a few of these mustaches for posterity.  As you might already know- Movember is an awareness and fundraising program for men's health, especially prostate cancer. The intent is to take some of the stigma away from discussing men's health issues by opening the dialogue using humour and the visual cue of the mustache.  On November 1st men can register with campaigns such as Movember Canada with a clean shaven face, and in the process of growing facial hair become essentially walking billboards for prostate health.

I do believe Roller Derby deserves it's own special paragraph on the subject of Movember.  If you're involved in Roller Derby you'll notice Movember bouts, Movember scrimmages and other fund raising efforts by the derby community.  Below you'll see a photo submitted by the legendary Noah Backtalk- Derby coach, Captain, referee and player extraordinaire.  Check out his page on Movember Canada!

Of those submitted- my favourite by far is the 'stash above, sported Thomas Dannenberg.  This is a mustache is a stash and a half.  

It's still possible to donate on behalf of prostate health!  Please click on this link to DONATE! 

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.

For my Halloween edition of the Sunday Feature I decided to feature ceramic artist Carole Epp.  Her work is astoundingly detailed.  It's simultaneously alluring and attractive as well as repellent and disturbing.  

A Collection of Small Miseries is a massive, extensive collection of sculptures.  At first glance they appear to be small, precious figurines such as the Hummels that my grandmother used to collect.  There's a sweetness to them at first glance, their poses resemble Victorian figures of children, heads tilted and hands clasped.  It's not until one draws close that one notices something amiss- these figures are not the simpering hummel figurines.  Each small misery displays a small tableau, a little message.   

This one reads: "She felt like a joke and she was falling apart at the seams."  I find this a beautiful figure.  Her pose is somewhat iconic, the grace of the figure contrasts beautifully with the look of the sculls below and the chilling message.  As one draws closer one notices perfectly painted clown makeup on the figure, as well as red hands.  

Many of her sculptures involve small glass domes, much as some higher priced ornaments.  However these domes always serve a special purpose in the concept of the piece- in some cases they isolate and highlight each individual element.  In the case of the above sculpture contribute to a feeling of sterility and sameness for each individual animal, also a feeling of isolation, both emotionally and in the sense of disease isolation.  The side piece titled - "Never believe anyone over the age of thirty," uses glass domes over each individual head, suggestive of a mad scientist, or a Victorian display of preserved scientific curios. 

If you wish to purchase any of Carole Epp's work, check out her Etsy page.  She has both sculptural and functional ceramics available for purchase.

I read that line from one of my parenting groups that the BC government is cutting back on home visits from a public health nurse.  It made me think back to some of the first visits I received, in Alberta mind you, after my son was born.  I was very weak recovering from 40 hours of labour and a c-section, but I was euphoric.  I felt like I could do anything.  When I found out a nurse was coming over my first thought was "why?"  I felt I had things under control.  I was brimming with joy, surrounded by friends, with my beautiful, sleeping infant in my arms.  I might have been the first to refuse such a visit if it were optional.  However I was very glad to have those visits.  As the days pased and the initial euphoria wore off I began to experience some exhaustion and anxiety.  I was relieved not to have to bundle my infant and take him to a clinic for a check up, and the nurse was able to provide detailed progress assessments of my infant.  He was growing well, he was nourished, breastfeeding was going well, etc.  He was a very sleepy baby, and had experienced a lot of physical trauma in the 40 hours of labour.  My nurse was able to correctly diagnose him with slight jaundice, and just had us put him in the sunshine, nurse him as much as possible and keep an eye on it. 

Another reason I was glad to have my nurse, and this is a very personal reason and very dear to my heart, she counseled me on circumcision.  Up until that moment I was going to go ahead and circumcise my son.  I didn't know much about it, I only knew my husband wanted it done, and that he seemed to care more about it than I did.  My nurse actually showed me a diagram of baby circumcision.  She did not make my decision for me, but she gave me all the information, nothing left out, and allowed me make an informed choice.  No health professional had done that for me before.  My surgeon was advising me to go ahead with it, no medical staff said anything different on the subject.  If it weren't for my health nurse's visit I can guarentee that my baby would have been circumcised.

I'm not even sure what the official stance of the Public Health Authority on circumcision.  It could be this was something she felt motivated to do herself.  For me it was a very important part of my care, because someone actually took some time to explain the procedure to me.  She said "if you feel at all undecided, it's probably best to wait.  It's not something that can be undone."

My daughter was born in BC.  I had the same wonderful, personal home visits as I did with my son.  Again, predictably my mood dropped with my hormones at about the 5th day after childbirth, and I was glad to have the advice and attention when I was at risk for PPD.  Again I would have been considered outside of their new low-income criteria.  However, the fact remains, we don't actually always know when we need help most, or what sort of help we might need.  New motherhood is a very vulnerable time and we all... ALL of us need all the support we can get.

If you wish to write to your Health Minister, Health Critic and Premier the contact information is as follows:

minister of health micheal de jong: 
mike.dejong.mla@leg.bc.ca

NDP health critic: 
Mike.Farnworth.MLA@leg.bc.ca

premier clark:
premier@gov.bc.ca
If, like many of us, you are a very busy mother you might want to copy and paste the letter below instead of writing your own.  (Thank you Taai Taai for the letter!)

 I've been familiar with artist Martha Jablonski-Jones for quite some time now, so I was pleased when she shared her artist link on my fan page the other day.  I love her urban landscapes.  She seems to find the special, almost sacred qualities in ordinary scenes, the exotic in the familiar.  Much of her focus is on alleyways, which she transforms into arrangements of glowing abstracted colour.  The above painting- "Hexagram," reminds me of Mark Rothko- glowing squares of sunlit shapes.  Her series, called "CIty" is all focused on alleys. 

"Inner Passage"- Acrylic/Canvas 

Her scenes do not contain people, but they seem to contain a presence.  As urban landscapes they suggest human habitation, and even the fact that they are vertical landscapes seems to reflect human forms.  These vertical shapes are almost the outline, the absence of people.  Jablonski- Jones writes: 

"My primary artistic focus is on the contemporary urban landscape, in particular, the rich textures of things weathered and worn, run down, imprinted by time and human occupation. Although people may not appear in my paintings, they have clearly inhabited the spaces. I’m also interested in the industrial places we have created around ourselves, their formidable structures designed to serve, yet often seeming to draw us into their own service."

Another focus she takes is on power lines and electricity.  Her series called "Electric" is about the force and power behind man made objects.  These power lines and structures become infused with a glowing energy of bright lines and dynamic strokes.  They take on an otherworldly quality, and almost a religious or totem significance in the landscape.  It seems an interesting remark on modern condition, as much of our lives and activities rely on these totems of power.  In her words they express: 

"The balance of power between the man-made and the elemental; living forces of the invisible energies."