Dancing through pregnancy

Deb grew up in India, where henna is a significant part of every occasion. She expressed a desire to celebrate her pregnancy and enjoy the cooling effect of henna during the hot Colorado summer. Lowering the body temperature is one of henna's medicinal qualities, in addition to being soothing to the nerves.

 She practices the Indian classical dance form - Bharatnatyam - and asked for a dancer to be incorporated in her design. I loved learning about this Indian dance, it's such an incredible expression of grace and joy. Tree of life, hamsa and paisley were other design requests. 

I had a few ideas ready when she arrived and sat in the Henna Throne. The henna application took about 1 1/2 hours and then we stepped outside and snapped some beautiful photos. Deb brought a wonderful selection of her own blouses, which really inspired me.

A few days later Deb returned with her 3 year old daughter, and we took more photographs. So many sweet moments of joy! What a pleasure to capture these in photographs. I had to laugh at the end when her daughter said she didn't want to leave - it's something that little people often say at the end of a visit to my Art Studio: The Green Cauldron. It warms my heart that I've created such a safe place for women and children. 

 #babybumpart #coloradohenna #boulderhenna #pregnancyart #hennabelly #motherdaughter #Bharatnatyam #Treeoflife #hamsa #paisley