Within the Pregnant Pause

Print 15 x 15 cm £20

Original not for sale.

When Amali was writing her book Within The Pregnant Pause, she asked me to illustrate all sorts of babies. This is just one of the pictures and she chose it to go on the cover of the book. 

Original size: 110 x 145 mm 

Print size: 23 x 32 cm £85 - Purchase

Original not for sale.

This is a direct interpretation of a photograph of Amali which formed the cover of her first book The Heart in the Womb. The oils create a slightly less defined image than a photograph, but I love the result as it really captures the essence of my friend whom I have known since we were 19. I found the original photograph relaxed and beautiful and I think my version captures some of that.

Original size: 145 x 220 mm 

Print size: 42 x 40  - £120 - Purchase

Original size: 40 x 38 cm - Purchase

I create a lot of paintings on silk with wax resist, which is a type of batik process. This is the only one in this book. 

I used just three colours; as much of the picture as possible was to remain white or pale, which is achieved by leaving large amounts of wax in place during the process. It was quite difficult being able to see what I was doing as I worked. However, I like the strongly contrasting colours that resulted. In the end, the picture emerged from something unseen, having to rely on an element of instinct and rest between episodes of work, rather like a mother in childbirth.

Print sizes: 44 x 32 cm £120 - Purchase

61 x 44 cm £180 - Purchase

Original size: 195 x 280 mm - Purchase

Print size: 23 x 17cm - £30 - Purchase

Original size: 145 x 220 mm - Purchase

Print sizes: 44 x 32 cm £110 - Purchase

  62 x 45 cm £160 - Purchase

Original size: 210 x 285 mm - Purchase

Although childbirth can occur naturally and straightforwardly, there are times when an operation such as a Caesarean or forceps delivery are necessary. These are highly technological procedures. Amali argues that some of the elements that can help smooth childbirth along can be kept during operations such as this, which allow early bonding between the baby and parents. 

This is one of my sketches which I did in 10 minutes. Sometimes this happens. How did I do it? Working with charcoal helps: it is a very responsive and flexible medium. I also have a knowledge of operations and how hospitals look and work.

Print size: 38 x 35 cm £120 - Purchase

Original not for sale 

Amali talked to me about the fact that women have instinctive knowledge of their bodies which can be used during childbirth if the environment allows and if the woman can find space, both mentally and physically. 

I started with a sketch of a woman and a midwife during childbirth. At times these people need to get close together and the people therefore formed a flower shape in the sketch. I then made four versions of this picture in oil pastels and named them according to the seasons. In some of them, the background became a flower. In this picture, the background is a blue-purple Himalayan poppy.

Original size: 290 x 310 mm 

Print size: 44 x 36 cm  - £120 - Purchase

Original size: 22 x 33 cm - Purchase

This was painted at the same time as Spring Vortex, using a different flower for the ‘cocoon’ and different colours. In the book Within the Pregnant Pause, it is used to show that with the right support and the right environment, the person giving birth knows what to do, or how to let it happen.

Print size: 40 x 38 cm  - £100 - Purchase

Original size : 295 x 315 mm - Purchase

This is one of four versions in the vortex series. The colours are more autumnal and instead of the two figures being inside a flower, this time I drew them inside a womb.

Print size: 43 x 37 - £120 - Purchase

Original size : 285 x 330 mm - Purchase

This is one of four versions in the same series as Spring Vortex. I made the colours and surrounding ‘star’ to represent Christmas.

Print size: 61 x 43 cm  - £180 - Purchase

Original size: 200 x 280 mm - Purchase

Amali asked me to illustrate that childbirth is now like a technical production line, which can be extremely disempowering for the person going through it. 

I have been a doctor in occupational medicine where I examined workplaces and carried out many factory visits, where production lines could be seen. This picture therefore combines my different “lives” as a doctor and an artist. It is a direct combination of occupational medicine, factories and hospital experience of obstetrics. I doubt there is another picture in the world that combines these two things. Look at the detail: the hands and the postures.

Original size: 200 x 280 mm 

Print size: 44 x 32 cm - £100 - Purchase

Original size: 195 x 305 mm - Purchase

Amali told me that if a mother and baby are given space and time, there is a natural, instinctive body reflex which occurs. The newborn baby will crawl from the stomach up to the mother’s chest and start to breastfeed. 

The baby in this picture is not a newborn but I created many pictures of women and babies breastfeeding and this is the one that Amali chose for the book. I deliberately painted it from an unusual viewpoint. In the end result, it seems to me as if the mother and baby are totally relaxed and feel unobserved. 

Print size: 23 x 17 cm  - £40 - Purchase

Original size: 15 x 22 cm - Purchase

I was asked to write the chemical formula for oxytocin on a red coloured background because the colour red is linked with love.  Oxytocin is a hormone which is released in our bodies and promotes love and bonding.

Print size: 44 x 32 cm £120 - Purchase

Original size: 200 x 280 mm - Purchase

This picture could also be called 'Necessary Interventions' or perhaps even 'Don’t Throw the Baby Out with the Bathwater!' Amali argues that medical interventions and technology may be necessary or essential for safe childbirth but not too much or too often; it is a balance. We discussed how to show this aspect of modern medicine and in the end she said “draw a set of scales.” 

Print size 22 x 32 cm £80  - Purchase

Original size: 145 x 220 mm - Purchase

Amali talks about the importance of nurturing in a child’s growth, in particular in the first years of a child’s life. She suggested that I paint a picture of hands around a small plant. 

I have used a deliberately muted range of colours, for a change! I love, and tend to use dark, strong colours, often in the reds, purples and ochre ranges. It took discipline to stay with blues and greens this time. My main focus was to be on the hands themselves.  I am fascinated by hands and what they can express - often as much as speech!

Print sizes: 32 x 23cm - £80 - Purchase

61 x 44 cm  - £150 - Purchase

Original size: 135 x 170 mm - Purchase

This is from a series of several drawings and paintings I made of my family during a wedding. 

I love these three children. They all wanted the yo-yo which had become tangled and they were fascinated by the bright colours that were flashing from it. They all wanted to get their hands on it but they were holding back. I like the way they were all intensely focused on that one point. There was an adult in the background suggesting that they wait until the boy untangled the yo-yo and then to work out between them how they would play. 

Print size: 32 x 23 cm  - £80 - Purchase

Original size: 230 x 295 mm  - Purchase

This was a moment in the sun: family time. The baby was four months old, very engaging and extroverted. He would look around and give a huge smile, and wait until everyone looked at him and smiled back.

Original size: 230 x 295 mm 

Print size: 32 x 24 cm £80 - Purchase

Original size: 180 x 240 mm - Purchase

Print sizes: 44 x 32 cm £120 - Purchase

  61 x 44 cm £180 - Purchase

Original size: 240 x 310 mm  - Purchase

A doula is a birth assistant or person who supports a woman before and during childbirth. This picture has a private feel in a private space. The various pinks associate in my mind with the inside tissues and flesh of the woman as she gives birth.

Print size: 42 x 42 cm  - £110 - Purchase

Original size: 350 x 350 mm - Purchase

The coloured, regular pattern was inspired by a drawing toy,, ‘Spirograph’. Geometric and fluid patterns result. The black background makes the colours appear brighter than they usually are.

Print size: 21 x 30 cm  - £50 - Purchase

Original size: 11 x 13.5 cm - Purchase

This is typical of a scene in the labour ward office in a hospital.

Print size: 44 x 30 cm  - £140 - Purchase

Original size: 195 x 280 mm - Purchase

I wanted to depict a peaceful place and stillness within that place. I have used the archetypal ancient motif of being in a forest. Rama and Sita were great lovers in the Hindu tradition.

Print size: 22 x 16 cm £120 - Purchase

Original not for sale.

Amali grew up in Sri Lanka and England. She showed me some pictures and asked if I could try and depict a young Sri Lankan woman in a typical Sri Lankan village scene. Being English born and bred, I had no knowledge of what was typical and so Amali told me many things, and showed me pictures of the colours, the clothing, and typical mats that people use. This picture was the most difficult to do of all in the book. It took ages to come to the point where the picture felt authentic to Amali’s concept. I knew the picture was finished when I came to a sense of  peace and when I became fond of that person in the picture. 

Look at the detail of the plants and flowers as they may have meaning.

Original size: 145 x 220 mm. 

Print size 16 x 19 cm £50 - Purchase

Original size: 160 x 190 mm - Purchase

In Hindu tradition, this represents Kali giving birth to the world. This inspiration for this picture was a carving from a temple in Khajuraho (India).

Print size:  30 x 42 cm  (11.7 x 16.6 inches (A3)  £100 - Purchase

Original size: 680 x 790 mm - Purchase

This is one of a series of paintings I have done on what I call roundabouts, also known as merry-go-rounds or carousels. I enjoy the ones with the horses on, and cannot just walk by. They make me laugh and I feel free. 

Painting on a black surface is a totally different experience from painting on a light coloured background. It changes the appearance of the colours and forces you to find different ways of working.

45 x 32 cm £120 - Purchase

62 x 44 cm £150 - Purchase

Original size: 270 x 360 mm - Purchase

Print size: 21 x 30 cm £80 - Purchase

Original size: 190 x 260 mm - Purchase

Amali knows and writes about things which can help prepare the human body for childbirth. This shows something called a ‘Rebozo scarf’. In this picture both women are pregnant.

Print size: 32 x 28 cm £100 - Purchase

Original size : 165 x 190 mm - Purchase

Sometimes newborn babies are unwell and need medical care, such as this one who has a tube in its nose and a hat to keep heat within its body. It is advised that as many elements of natural (non-medical) care are retained, hence this baby is in what is called ‘kangaroo posture’ (skin-to-skin with the parent, inside a blanket or sling).

43 x 31 cm £100 - Purchase

Original size: 75 x 97 mm - Purchase

This large painting was also inspired by the fluid but mathematical patterns of ‘Spirograph’. The original is large and used drawing movement from the whole arm.

Print size: 16 x 16 cm £20 - Purchase

Original size: 11 x 15 cm - Purchase

I was asked to draw a picture of the female reproductive system. I really did not want to create a detailed anatomical picture which could be copied from a book. We agreed to make a figurative representation of it.

I decided to use traditional symbolism. Fruit such as the pear and pomegranates are associated with the womb and productiveness. One of the ovaries is shown here as a pear blossom alongside the womb as a pear. The other is a sweet pea - because I like them and because the fallopian tube can have a frilly appearance.

Print size: 32 x 23 cm £30 - Purchase

Original size: 120 x 180 mm - Purchase

Amali asked me to use blocks of colour to represent different aspects of childbirth: Power, Passage; Passenger; and Psychobiological. She believes, as do I, in a holistic approach to a person’s health - the passenger, being the baby; the passage being the birth passage to the outside world, which includes the womb, cervix, vagina and vulva; power being the physical strength of those muscles. Psychobiological means attending to the whole person, how they are feeling, their mind and what the body is doing.

Original size: 105 x 145 mm each - Purchase