UPDATE and BLOG

In Greek Mythology, Persephone was the daughter of Demeter, goddess of the harvest and fertility. She was abducted by Hades, god of the underworld while wandering through a flowery meadow one day. Demeter despaired at her disappearance and upon knowledge that Zeus had part in the abduction, refused to let the earth fruit until Persephone was returned. Zeus allowed Persephone to return but because she has tasted the fruit of the underworld, she was destined to forever spend a part of year with Hades as his wife in the underworld. During this time, associated with the winter months, plants die and halt to grow until Persephone return to the surface during the spring, marked by flowering of the meadows and growth of new grain.

Close-Up:

Air fills between the heaven and the sea where the surface walkers of all kind exist. The mer-kind was forbidden to wander beyond the edge of their world. She, Golden Tail, fell in love with movement of air through her flowing hair, and the touch of the wind across her sensual skin, leaving dreams that always persist. Unfortunate was this day, with pierced skin and damaged soul, losing the passion she holds. An alliance from the depths of the sea comes forth recognizing the gentle heartbeat still beating within. Away from the light she will now go, embracing the darkness deep below.

Continuing with my Greek mythology theme, my latest painting of Artemis:

In Greek mythology, Artemis (the Roman goddess Diana) was the goddess of the hunt, moon, and the natural world. She symbolizes the untamed spirit, unaffected by love, and as an eternal huntress with perfected hunting skills known to take down the most terrifying beasts. Artemis is known as the protector of young children, goddess of childbirth and virginity. She’s the daughter of Zeus and the twin sister of the sun god Apollo. As one of the most widely honored of the Ancient Greek deities, she’s depicted here with her beauty, strength, and grace with her bow and arrows.

 

My latest painting is that of Penelope from Greek Mythology. I wanted to capture her appearance and her spirit based on the story of her. Here’s a little description.

In Greek mythology, Penelope was the wife of the hero Odysseus, king of Ithaca. For twenty years she endured hardship while Odysseus was away during and after the Trojan War. During his absence, she was pursued by many suitors who tried to persuade her that her husband will never return. After many years have gone by with pressure surrounding her, she devised a plan to keep herself free from marrying another, announcing that she will agree to choose another husband only when she’s finished weaving her father-in-law’s shroud, which every night for three years she would undo to ensure that it would never be completed. When this was eventually revealed by one of her maids, Penelope promised to marry the man that can bend her husband’s bow knowing that only Odysseus can accomplish this feat. Odysseus returned after his long adventure, disguised as a beggar, and accomplished this task. He killed the suitors with his strung bow and revealed his identity. Penelope accomplished anchoring the kingship of Ithaca by not marrying another and making him king. She could not rely on force as so often used to settle differences, but instead used her knowledge and intelligence to take control of the situation. Her devised plans appealed to the suitors because of custom and tradition, that made the suitors compete instead of unite. She is the epitome of feminine virtue, loyalty, intelligence, respect, and patience.

 

I enjoyed doing this painting. It was quick and fast focusing mostly on composition. I had a lot of freedom playing with the movement of the bears and broken icebergs. Polar bears’ habitat and hunting ground are in the decline. The bears depend on sea ice to hunt for seals. A decrease in sea ice and sea ice platforms moving farther apart mean the bears need to swim further, and a decrease in hunting opportunities while at the same time require to expend more energy. In our lifetime, we will be witnessing a shrinking of polar bear population.

Athena and Aegis

In Greek Mythology, Athena was the goddess of wisdom, war, strength, courage, and on and on. It seems like the Greeks just wanted to give this woman all the goods! She’s definitely one of the most well known gods in Greek Mythology. Here, she is portrayed with Aegis, a shield with the head of Medusa, given to her after Perseus finished with all his fun of turning meanies to stones. Yes, it’s alive! How do you attach a head to a shield? Don’t think that was ever explained nor artists do justice to the idea in paintings. Here in my interpretation, the head and the snakes intertwined with the magical shield so that the snakes come in and out of the it. Next to athena is her little owl, also one of her symbols. In the background is her cape, spear, and armor (not shown). It’s her day off!