Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Unfinished Business

Speaking of Skaði, I've been thinking lately of sharing some of my (myriad) unfinished pieces here. I've got quite a few of them, including several of the Goddess (Athena) Nike, Whom I don't seem to be able to paint to my satisfaction. ('Paint', I say, never knowing quite what to call my works in watercolor pencil. 'Paint' seems not quite right, since it doesn't [much] involve a brush, yet 'draw' seems too far down the importance scale. Oh well.) But I expect my problems with Nike stem from my ambivalent attitude towards victory; try as I might, I can't get my brain around it as a positive thing. Too much glorifying violence and competition, I suppose, even if the battle is only fought within the self. I prefer other terms.

Anyway, here's one I started ages ago of Skaði, the Norse Goddess of winter, skiing, and the hunt. Actually I (and I am quite serious) vowed this piece to Her several years back when I found myself on the bunny slope of a local ski resort in a dead panic fervently praying not to die. I didn't (in fact I didn't even fall once); and so I promised Her a portrait. I should probably finish it; I suspect Skaði (Whose name is related to our 'scathe,' meaning 'harm') likes to have promises kept. But it's been so long I don't even use that medium anymore, Prismacolor colored (wax) pencils. But here She is, anyway. The background was/is going to be snowy fjords and pine trees and the like. She wears a wolf-skin and ornaments of silver.

5 comments:

Jenny said...

I'm sure there is a reason why She asked to wait and be finished later. Use a new medium for the background? What is She telling you at this point, re-emerging from Her winter domain?

And the artwork - is exquisite!

Poppy Fields said...

She has a lovely face; just the right amount of "edge".

I have promised my goddesses a place on my skin, but so far I haven't been able to draw them appropriately, or find a good enough reference picture to work from. I hope that they can be patient too!

ked'a said...

I've noticed that Divinities have odd senses of time...

She is astonishingly lovely!

Thalia said...

Ha! Looking at Her face closely before scanning the picture in I thought, Jeez, She looks just like a certain person I know whose name begins with K...

sido said...

really beautiful portrait. Do hope you fill in the background and use Her in your cards. Would you also do a Turan (strongly suspect was Puccini's inspiration for Turandot..one of my favourite roles to sing, as she is a woman who follows truth in a time most could not)