Belly

I just made a belly cast for my 9-month pregnant sister Rachele. It was a lot like making a plaster face mask, but on a stomach. Part way through she had a contraction, and by that time the plaster around her belly was mostly dry so you could see her stomach pull away from the mold and change shape as she was standing there. How cool is that? I very quickly got over the "intimacy" of the project as I slipped into Tori-as-artist mode, and she became a series of curves and lines instead of my sister standing naked in the living room.

Her midwife came around for a check-up today and she had me feel where the baby's foot was pushing against Rachele's side. Totally amazing. Rachele doesn't really look pregnant from behind, so sometimes I forget then freak out when she turns around and has this big stomach.