SOUTH JERSEY

Belly art a moving experience for pregnant moms

Kim Mulford
@CP_KimMulford


Each time she paints a pregnant belly, Xiomara Babilonia approaches her naked canvas with care, its warm curves gently rolling beneath her brush like a placid ocean teeming with life.

It is precious, reverent work.

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As women grow increasingly comfortable with their pregnant bodies, more are commemorating their passage into motherhood with bellies captured in plaster, body paint, henna tattoos and photography. Painted in private or in the midst of a gathering, mothers-to-be bare their abdomens for an artistic process that can take up to three hours, depending on the intricacy of the design.

"Now, the woman’s pregnant body is considered beautiful and expressionist," said Babilonia, owner of XS Artistry in Pennsauken and a Camden art teacher. "Even body painting in general is more acceptable."

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To mark her final pregnancy last Mother's Day, Jessenia "Jay" Pablon of Camden asked her husband, Jason Colon, for a belly painting session with Babilonia. The couple chose a Winnie the Pooh theme for her ball-shaped belly, and then posed for their portrait. Jayceon Antonio Colon was born not long afterward.

Salena Ross of Camden, who is eight months pregnant, looks at her belly after it was painted by Xiomara Babilonia, owner of XS Artistry in Pennsauken. 04.29.16

"I feel like my body is more beautiful when I'm pregnant," said Pablon, a 28-year-old mother of five. "I'm doing something so beautiful and amazing, carrying an extra being inside of me … I took over a hundred pictures that day."

Babilonia, 35, preserved her own pregnant belly by casting it in plaster and then firing it in ceramic, her preferred medium. But she has fallen in love with belly painting.

"I think it's so much fun to paint on the belly," Babilonia said. "The baby moves, you feel little feet kicking back or you feel the baby shifting. It's meditating and challenging at the same time. … It's so much fun to do. I love it."

So do moms.

A self-described introvert and first-time mom, Jaimie Fuller was the center of attention at a February gathering to celebrate the impending birth of her "miracle" baby, Rosie. Her friend suggested hosting a "blessingway," as an alternative to a traditional baby shower.

While women shared stories about birth and motherhood, artist Linda Krause of Gibbstown painted a lavender-scented tree-of-life design on Fuller's belly, and then painted leaves, vines and flowers on the hands of guests. The design remained on Fuller's belly for several weeks, delighting her health-care providers. Fuller said the gathering boosted her confidence through labor and delivery, and continues to keep her centered and relaxed as she learns to mother her now 5-week-old baby.

Xiomara Babilonia, owner of XS Artistry in Pennsauken, paints the belly of Salena Ross of Camden, who is eight months pregnant. 04.29.16

"It was really emotional," said Fuller, a 42-year-old yoga teacher who lives in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania. "Everybody really connected with it."

Such blessing ceremonies are slowly gaining in popularity, said Krause, 42, who also does face painting, air brushing, casting and other kinds of body art.

"I love when I’m asked to do these events, because it's just so — without sounding too crazy — it’s so powerful and amazing how women get together to do this," Krause said.

Like makeup, body paint is opaque, and covers stretch marks and scars for women who are otherwise uncomfortable showing off their bare bellies. Krause chose a busy design for the belly of a self-conscious client embarrassed about the reddened marks on her skin. Another client loved her painted belly so much, she kept her shirt unbuttoned during her baby shower.

"I think the body is art," Krause said. "In this day and age, people are honoring pregnancy. It’s a beautiful thing."

Kim Mulford: (856) 486-2448; kmulford@gannettnj.com


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