Navel gazing is a very important part of being pregnant. First, like a probe on a turkey, my bellybutton is threatening to pop out as soon as I am ‘done’.  Each day it expands a little farther. To my great delight, I was able recently to see the bottom of it, all previously uncharted territory.

I am often asked to provide a photo of me. A head shot like the one you can see of me with a friendly goat on the New Blood Art website. Ideally I would have one of me in the studio, brush in hand, canvas at the ready, the flair of creative genius zinging wildly in my unkempt hair.

But the reality is that my studio is less than the cover of Dwell magazine and more like the aftermath of an armed robbery. Also, I have no self portraits. I did a few back in London but they have all been whisked away by my mother for ‘safe Keeping’ and I have no idea where they are.

I want my self portrait to be done while I am pregnant. This may be a transitory state; I look like I swallowed a watermelon; but it is a fitting one for this project. Like the artist in the studio is somehow holding within them the works of art; pregnant with possibilities.

So here’s the plan. To paint a few self portraits and to stage a photo shoot…