Pregnant Woman - Reclining #2

There is something wonderfully direct about charcoal. Without the distraction of color, the figure is reduced to line, shadow, shape, and gesture. In this drawing, I use that simplicity to focus on the pregnant body and the physical presence of motherhood.

The charcoal marks are loose and expressive while still being decisive.

The pregnant body is a powerful subject matter because it is constantly changing. The familiar proportions of the figure are altered, the center of gravity shifts, and suddenly the body takes up space in a completely different way. There is strength in that, but also vulnerability and a kind of beautiful awkwardness.

I wasn't interested in making an idealized image of motherhood. I wanted to draw a body as it actually feels which is substantial, changing, and very much alive.

No color. No fuss. Just the figure, the marks, and the extraordinary business of becoming a mother.