“I was so moved by her long and traumatic journey to have
children and how she channeled that experience into her art,
both emotionally and through the use of IVF needles,” she says.

“I have dabbled in art myself and have always been intrigued
with nonconventional tools and mediums, so I find her use
of the syringes inventive and emotionally moving.”
Lisa Aleskow, who lives in Potomac, commissioned a piece
for her daughter’s room. “Her paintings, although abstract, tell a
story—you see the light and darkness in each of them, a feeling
of hope and connection,” she says.

Blicher has also used other women’s sterile IVF needles when
they commission work. And she has become an advocate of mak-
ing the subject of difficulty in conceiving children less taboo—
starting with her own mother.

“When I was first trying to get pregnant, she said: ‘Just relax. I just
looked at your dad and I was pregnant.’ I was thinking, ‘I know good
intentions are there and this how you think you’re helping me, but
right now I just need to be heard and I need support,’” she recalls. “We
want to be teaching loved ones of those going through infertility what
to say, what not to say, how to offer support, how to comfort.”
It didn’t happen all at once, but when Blicher started sharing
her artwork with friends three years ago, she also talked about
the journey that led her to create it. And she has connected with
many women facing their own infertility struggles through her
Jamie Blicher with husband, Brian, and twins Bennett, left, and Ethan
Instagram account @glitterenthusiast, which has 3,000 followers.

Blicher has exhibited her work through the Art of Infertility
in Washington, D.C., a group that raises awareness of infertility
issues through art and storytelling. She also donates a portion of
her profits to Resolve, a national nonprofit infertility association.

“I want my sons to be so proud of their mom for battling
adversity this way and finding a beautiful thing that comes
out of it,” Blicher says. “I really want to tell them how badly
I wanted them and how the conversation of them from the
beginning turned into something so beautiful. And that they
came and made this world so much better.” MM
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