Francine Krause
About the Artist
Francine Krause is the originator of the bellymask phenomena, founder of Bellymask.com, and a pioneer in the field of pregnant fine art sculptures. She has been at the forefront of pregnancy art for nearly twenty years, ever since she created her own original belly cast during her pregnancy in 1986.
Francine developed and launched the first commercially-available Bellymask do-it-yourself home kits for consumers in 1991, and has achieved worldwide distribution and acclaim. Thousands of women and their loved ones have created memorable forms of their pregnancy using Francine’s original kits, available for purchase at www.bellymask.com.
Francine is a true fine artist sculptress who creates her work as a heartfelt offering to pregnant women all over the world. She devotes her talents, intentions, and energy to helping women create lasting memories and treasures of their pregnancy. Francine writes,
“I have been enamored by the pregnant form since childhood. I am in awe of the creative force that flows within a pregnant woman carrying her baby in her womb. Prima Bella, Italian for ‘the most beautiful’, is how I see each pregnant woman, in her full beauty, bursting with life and sensuality, embracing her baby within her, with her loving arms of protection. I am so grateful to share a woman’s pregnant journey with her and her baby, helping her and her family keep the memories of pregnancy vivid and alive long after the birth of her child…”
Francine refined her fine art skills at the Art Institute of Chicago, the California College of Arts, and through thousands of hours at Prima Bella Studios with over 500 pregnant clients and their art forms. Francine is an active member of the Association of Lifecasters International (ALI) since 1999, and continues to remain a pioneer in pregnancy art.
Francine’s work has been featured in such notable publications as People Magazine, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Pregnancy Magazine, Fit Pregnancy, and Good Housekeeping. Francine has appeared on numerous television programs such as The Other Half, Univision, CNN and Lifetime.