"When it comes to you living your own life, there is no right answer other than you."
A painting of the feeling of seeing, for the first time, a small life dwelling in the womb. I put into it a blessing for life, and the energy of love and prayer that gently watches over it.
The Feeling in This Work
Its themes are "the beginning of life" and "the security of being watched over by love." I entrusted to color the wonder and blessing I felt the moment I first saw a small life in the womb, and the quiet power that existence gives off. Life is not something to be compared with anyone else; its very existence is the right answer, and worthy of blessing.
Concept & Background
I put into it the prayer that "life is a blessing in itself." Even in moments wrapped in sadness or anxiety, I want people to remember that they have been nurtured within a fundamental warmth and love. I hope it becomes a chance for viewers to gently embrace their own lives and the lives of those dear to them, and to feel the warmth of being protected.
Technique, Color & Visual Expression
Centered on soft blues and pinks, layered colors create a quiet sway, expressing the warmth of the womb that enfolds life. The circular motif floating in a veil of pale light symbolizes the heartbeat of a new life, bringing viewers a sense of security and calm.
On Making This Work
When it comes to you living your own life, there can be no right answer other than you. That is the prayer I put into this work. When you have worries, remember that you have always been wrapped in a great, warm energy. May the time you live always be overflowing with blessings.
This work is not for sale; it is a painting I keep close and treasure. With Personal Order Art, I paint a one-of-a-kind work just for you through a conversation with each person.About using the artwork
More about this painting
A heartbeat that connects the beginning of life
In "Heartbeat," I painted a round form representing the pulse of new life within a veil of soft blue and pink light. I imagined the warmth of the womb that holds a life.
Inside the mother's body, the baby's heart begins to beat very early in pregnancy. A pulse ticking within a tiny body — it is the very first sound that tells us a life is here.
The surprising history of pink and blue
Pink for girls, blue for boys — many people think of these as baby colors today. But this pairing has not always existed.
In her book "Pink and Blue" (2012), the American clothing historian Jo B. Paoletti explains that in the 19th century both boys and girls usually wore white, and that in the early 20th century some magazines even recommended pink for boys and blue for girls. The meanings of colors have changed with the times.
The pink and blue in this painting are not colors for boys or girls. Warmth and stillness — the two colors overlap to become a gentle light that holds life.
Looking at art relaxes the body
We are learning that looking at art affects not only the mind but also the body.
A study by Mastandrea and colleagues at Roma Tre University in Italy (2019) reported that people's blood pressure fell after they viewed figurative paintings in a museum. When we pause before something beautiful and breathe out, the body quietly relaxes as well.
A painting that reminds you of your own heartbeat
In our busy days, we rarely listen to our own heartbeat. Yet our hearts have kept beating without a single rest since before we were born.
I hope that whenever you see this painting, you remember the one and only heartbeat ticking within you.
Sources
Jo B. Paoletti, Pink and Blue: Telling the Boys from the Girls in America (2012)
Mastandrea, S., et al. (Visits to figurative art museums may lower blood pressure and stress, Arts & Health, 2019)
