Shadowbox, Natasja

Shadowbox.
Natasja.
Mixed media.

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about this piece.
Natasja describes this piece, "I made this shadowbox for my mother. For a while, she'd been wanting a framed photo of Madicken, to put up on the wall in her living room. It warms my heart, that she is proud of her first and only grandchild, and that she wants her guests to see that she has a precious little granddaughter in heaven. I was happy to make something special for my mother, so she could also have 'a little Madicken' in her home."

about the artist.
Natasja lives in Denmark. She lost her daughter, Madicken, August 2, 2009. She died due to blood clots in her placenta, and was born still at 25 weeks gestation.


Remembering Madicken today on her first birthday. Keeping Natasja and her family in our thoughts.

Funeral Program, Natasja.

Funeral Program.
Natasja.


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about the piece.
Natasja describes this work, "In the days between the birth of my daughter, Madicken, and her funeral, I made 15 of these programs, to give to the friends and family, who were attending the funeral. I have 1 left to keep. Some people hadn't seen Madicken before the funeral, and I wanted them to see, that I wasn't just putting a tiny white casket in the ground, with my hopes and dreams, but a little person was inside it, my baby. I thought, it would feel more real to them, if they "knew" Madicken. 14 of the programs looked exactly the same, but I made one different from the rest, for a family member, who had requested not to see photos of my daughter. Instead of the photos, it simply had the pink dotted paper, like the kind in the bottom. While I am glad I made these, it still, almost 10 months later, gives me grief, to know that I "hid" my beautiful baby away, and that a family member did not wish to see her. This was the first big confrontation, with "normal people's" fear of getting to close. The photos are of the front and back, and inside is of course the actual program and songs that were played."


about the artist.
Natasja lives in Denmark. She lost her daughter, Madicken, August 2,  2009. She died due to blood clots in her placenta, and was born still at  25 weeks gestation.

Madicken's Box, Natasja

Madicken's Box
Natasja.

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about this piece.
Natasja talks about this piece, "In my home, I have a white shelf only for my daughter. It changes all the time, as I find new things to put up, that remind me of her. It has frames with pictures of Madicken, her "Life certificate", her butterfly from Bree (Ella's mom), her angel wings from Lea (Nicholas' mom), angel figurines and a few dried flowers from her funeral. Everything on the shelf is centered around her memory box. It took me weeks to find the perfect wooden box, and 4 days to paint it (being the perfectionist, I am, things like that, take time). In the box, I keep Madickens clothes, her hand & foot prints, her photos, her teddybear, identical to the teddybear that went with her to heaven. Everything she touched and every piece of paper that has her name on it, is in the memory box. When I miss my daughter the most, I open it, go through each item, look at them and feel them, and try to remember how it felt to touch her, the smell of her skin, and the feeling of her tiny fingers around mine. It's the closest I can get to Madicken."


about the artist.
Natasja lives in Denmark. She lost her daughter, Madicken, August 2, 2009. She died due to blood clots in her placenta, and was born still at 25 weeks gestation.

Ann's Tree of Joy, Natasja

 

Ann's Tree of Joy.
Natasja

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about the piece.
In Natasja's words, "Through the loss of my own daughter, I have found a very good friend in another babylost mother, a wonderful woman named Ann. I painted this piece as a gift for her. She and her husband lost their only children, Sille & Oliver, a gorgeous set of twins. Because of Ann's cervical incompetence, their precious babies were born to early, and to small to live. Sille lived for an hour, and Oliver lived for four hours. They both passed in the arms of their loving mother, and with the presence and love of their father. I wanted to do something special for Ann, and since I've been painting a lot after I lost my daughter, I decided to do a painting.

"Ann loves butterflies, she says they bring her joy. I painted a tree that grows butterflies, so she will never run out of joy. With all the other butterflies, is a little pink one and a little blue one. They, of course, symbolize her beloved babies. They needed to be a part of this painting, because they gave their mommy so much joy, when she carried them.

"If joy grew on trees, I think this it what the tree would look like."

about the artist.
Natasja lives in Denmark. She lost her daughter, Madicken, August 2, 2009. She died due to blood clots in her placenta, and was born still at 25 weeks gestation.