Vanessa Tiegs' Menstrual Blood Painting Journal: Art or Bio Hazard?
Vanessa, a former professional ballet dancer now living in San Francisco began her painting journal entitled "Spiraling Moon" in September 2000. Her inspiration came from a book she read in Amsterdam called Blood, Bread & Roses How Menstruation Created the World, it changed her outlook on the world and how she viewed her menstrual period. Vanessa painted over 88 portraits using her menstrual blood capturing over 36 menstrual cycles or as Vanessa calls them "renewal processes". She then selected approximately 13 paintings for her journal calling it " Spiraling Moon" which can be seen at here.
You may wonder about the process of preserving menstrual blood for painting and if it has a certain smell to it. Vanessa mixes an acrylic medium with her menstrual blood and is said to have no smell associated with that of menstruation, only a faint smell of acrylic paint. She also paints on stiff, gessoed, masonite boards instead of canvas or paper which tend to have more give. Vanessa doesn't use paintbrushes or her hands to paint the pictures, instead she uses sharp, pointed objects to create her paintings.
It's not surprising to know that Vanessa's paintings aren't always well received by everyone. Many people find the medium used to be "gross" and or "unsanitary". Although many dislike her work, there are some people who like Vanessa's work enough to buy her original pieces and prints. Through the sell of her pieces Vanessa Tiegs was able to donate some of the proceeds from the sell of her original pieces and prints to The Center of Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research at the University of British Columbia.
In the end Vanessa leaves the decision up to you whether or not you consider her paintings to be art or not. Vanessa believes that menstrual blood shouldn't be considered something to be ashamed of, which is why she created her painting journal. Vanessa Tiegs isn't the first or even the last menstrual blood artist, there are several who's art can be seen at The Museum of Menstruation and Woman's Health their website is www.mum.org . Many of their techniques differ, but the medium is the same
Published by Tashia M. Heath
I'm a Mother, a wife and a baby photographer. I love art, writing, drawing... using my creativity when I can, which isn't often. View profile
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9 Comments
Post a Commentthe web site is xxx.jpg true blood paintings take a look
my painting is on this web site
its'not porno the paintings are 18'24 on canvas.
I to paint in blood ....
I think the medium captures the beauty of women's natural process, her artful expressions, and feminity. I don't find it disturbing at the least.
so is it a bio-hazard? i think its pretty cool
it's beautiful and different
Well I clicked on the link to check it out and every time I do it comes up as a 404 error. But just thinking of this really makes me sick. Yeah I agree that our menstrual cycle is nothing to be ashamed of but to use it as art is really gross. Anyway great article though. If you can give me the link that works I would appreciate it very much because I would like to see this as gross as it sounds though. :)
EWWWW!
that is gross, but interesting. I went to the web site and looked at her paintings. some are very unique but when i think of the medium used I am sickened. I can't imagine anyone i know doing such a thing. That's like painting with other bodily fluids and is just plain gross.