Menstrual Art: An Interview with Scarlett McIntosh PART TWO

 4. Do you have any specific technique that you use when you paint? What other types of mxnstrual art do you make?

I collect my blood in a menstrual cup. First time I did it I just pulled it right out and sat there half-naked and painted the first thing I could think of. I really like using the blood from the first day because it can be goopy and the red hue is really jarring before it dries brown. I mainly paint vulvas and bleeding vaginas or yonic things - like pears- that have vaginas. I think it just makes the most sense. A friend of mine who I discovered also does mxnstrual art- first thing they painted was a huge uterus.

It’s pretty cool painting with friends also on their period. I like to believe our bodies communicate without us knowing and then when we sync up and paint together it feels really badass. Though, every once in awhile, I will still catch myself having taboo feelings about blood and fluid mixture and be really grossed out but painting helps me get over those things. Other times, if I’m dealing with certain negative experiences I won’t even want to acknowledge that I have a vagina. I’ll sometimes take a break from erotic/mxnstrual art and just focus on other projects.

The other menstrual-”esque” art that I do are with my ceramics. I throw with porcelain and make bowls and cups. Then I glaze them with white or clear and paint them with iron oxide. After it comes out of the kiln it looks like a really white bowl with a dripping puddle of brownish-red period blood- reminds me of emptying my menstrual cup in the toilet.

In terms of new projects- since I’ve started painting with my blood I’ve always wanted to do a more collaborative series with a partner with a penis. It would be really fun to have them cum on some paper or fabric and sprinkle glitter on it. Eventually I would also want to mix mxnstrual blood in that. But this project hasn’t really presented itself yet.

5. I notice with alot of depictions of vaginas  there is this standard way in which they are depicted. They are often times show as pink when not everyone has pink vaginas. Or, it might be symmetrical or “aesthetically” pleasing. For a lot of folks who possess vaginas, how their vaginas looks can be something of great importance. What do you think about that? Do you bare that in mind when you paint?

I think about this a lot. With my mural, a guy walked past and asked in a really creepy way if it was a self portrait. This made me really uncomfortable and also pissed me off. For me, I am not that good at depicting the variety of labias out there and all of my paintings look basically the same.

Also, color- originally this mural was supposed to be in black and white but when I started it I didn’t have any black paint available. I started with whatever paint I could find in the basement and mixed colors as best I could. I stepped back and asked my guy friend “Does this look like just another white girl pink pussy?”. I wanted it to capture the complexity of lip color. I didn’t want it to be this pink labiaplasty pussy.

I want people to be able to identify with my work in some way but it’s also pretty wonderfully impossible because we all look different. Womxn should just go out and paint their own I guess. On a wall. In public. It’s a change of scenery from all the dick bombs taking up public space.

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Menstrual Art: An Interview with Scarlett McIntosh PART ONE

1.What got you into mxnstrual art?

Well, I don’t really remember what got me into blood before this but I took Female Sexuality during school and had an assignment that pushed me to do it. I was supposed to do something with a bodily fluid and I knew that people had painted with their blood in the past. I am not much of a painter usually but I really enjoyed painting with my blood- mainly, bleeding vulvas. After that first project I wanted to continue mxnstrual art with other mediums I was more familiar with.

2. Were you always this comfortable with displays of the body or moonstration?

Ha no. Growing up, I was super ashamed and embarrassed buying “feminine products” (which I think every pubing kid feels) and now thinking about it, even feminine products are very silly ideas. These pads & tampons to hide, prevent, unfeel, scent mxnstruation and uphold our ‘femininity.’ Like fuck that, just bleed. Sometimes I think it would be cool to collect stained underwear and sheets and make a bunch of patches.

Anyways, comfortability with my body is still something I am working on. Before I did this, everyone’s opinions around me regarding periods were really negative- that it was an inconvenience, painful, annoying, smelly. And yeah I get it. The first day of my flow I often repeat how badly I just want my uterus to fall out of me and leave it on the sidewalk. So turning it into art is really cathartic and helps me love it. This negativity is why I continue to do it-  it makes me feel connected to my body and appreciate what my body does. It is a sign of my fertility- not everyone has a period or a regular period- for me, it’s a reminder of rhythms of my body, my health, and some balance in my life.  

3. Are there other ways in which body positivity shows up in your life?

Being a birth doula and seeing a woman have a baby come out of her - with all of the fluids - not only does it work on my body positivity but I see it in them- it can leave me high for months. I think body literacy is extremely important for womxn’s empowerment. Getting acquainted with the way my mxnstrual blood feels, how much I let go of, what it smells like, how it fits in with my whole cycle, how to extract it when needed- it’s important to know.

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Cranberry Gingerbread Ice Cream

I've really been on a ginger kick lately. It is very stimulating and is a well-known cure for nausea, colds and digestive issues.

That's not why I made this ice cream tho...haha... I just wanted something tasty and unconventional. 

So here goes... <3

This recipe is an adaption from MyKitchenSink's recipe
It is enough for 6-8 scoops (roughly 2 people.. or 1 if you are greedy)

13.5 fl oz of coconut milk
1/4 cup of molasses
1 tbsp of cranberries
4 oz  of chopped skinless ginger root

• On low-medium fire, bring the coconut milk a light boil 
• Add the chopped ginger root. Allow for the ginger to steep for an hour
• Remove the ginger root from the coconut milk and stir in the cup of molasses until it dissolves
• Once the molasses have dissolved in the milk, put the coconut milk mixture into a cake pan and place it in the fridge at least 4 hours
• Before placing the refrigerated mixture in the freezer, add the cranberries

Tips to keep in mind (if you are not using an ice-cream maker):

• Freeze the mixture for at least 6 hours, stirring the mixture every 30 minutes to avoid frozen chunks from forming
• Another option is to leave it in for 6 hours and transfer the contents into a food processor or blender until it is a soft serve consistency
• Some folks claim the creamier the mixture the better. I personally have never tried ice cream with coconut cream (instead of milk) but it is definitely worth a try if you are curious