Syn

Syn is one of the Norse Goddess Frigga's twelve handmaidens; She is said to guard the door to Frigga's hall. She determines who can come in and who cannot; and if She refuses someone access, nothing can change Her mind.

Done for the September Goddess by Request over on my Patreon; this was a bit of an experiment with inks applied in blocks of color, inspired by the linoleum prints I've been doing. There are only a few colors, layered over each other to make more colors: the light Her skin tone, the light brown of the door, the medium brown of Her hair, red, and an indigo blue, which, combined with the brown made something like black. I quite like how this one came out and would like to do more like it. It reminds me of an old-fashioned illustration tipped into a book, like the way a reproduction of a lithograph gets all flattened out.

My Patreon Page

So the Patreon thing is working out quite nicely; I think I'll keep it. :)

In case you don't know, it's basically an ongoing kickstarter, where patrons (that is after all the correct word) pledge to donate a certain amount per month to support an artist (or writer, or musician, or filmmaker, &c.). Creators (that would be the artist, filmmaker, &c) can set up tiers and offer different rewards per amount pledged. You can also set up goals, meaning when X amount of pledges are received, or X amount of patrons sign up, you will do something (like get some fun art supplies that will translate into new art, or offer more rewards to the patrons, anything, really, including being able to pay X bill and therefore free up more time to make art, ha).

These are the tiers I've set up on my Patreon. I've named the levels too, because you can do that.

$1 month, the Patron level--access to sketches, musings on my art and the process of making it, finished art before the rest of the world sees it.
$3 month, the Maiden level--all the above, plus access to a thread for suggestions as to which Goddess I should paint that month.
$5 month, the Lady level--the above, plus 10% off anything in my Etsy store (which includes prints)
$10 month, the Queen level--the above, plus a postcard of my art sent to you every month
$20 month, the Empress level--the above, except 15% off anything in my Etsy store, plus every six months you get a print!

And I've set up two goals. The reason I'm going over this here is because they are both SO CLOSE to being met, homg.

The first is that if I get to 20 patrons I'll give away a print to one lucky patron. I'm at 18 patrons now; JUST TWO MORE.

And the other, which is EVEN CLOSER, is that when I get to $100 in pledges, I'll add the postcards to the $5 level, and throw in some goodies, like stickers, cards, what-have-you, to the $10 and $20 levels (in addition to the postcards they already get). We are at the OH-SO-CLOSE amount of $99! SO CLOSE.

SO CLOSE!!

Cathubodua

One last Celt. This is art of Cathubodua, a Gaulish Goddess known from a single inscription (and one that's missing the C, even). Her name has been surmised to mean 'Raven of Battle'; that makes it exactly parallel to the Irish Badb Catha, one of the aspects of the Morrigan, the Irish war Goddess.

This was definitely an experiment for me, artistically; it's done as a linoleum block print, a medium I haven't worked with since I think high school. (!) It's also done as a reduction print where a single block is carved away bit by bit for each layer of color. Usually each color is carved from a separate block. The advantages of a reduction print are that (in theory) all the layers will line up perfectly (as it's the same block); the disadvantage being that you can only print one set of prints, since the block is destroyed in the process and you can't go back (hence the alternate name 'suicide print').

I'm pretty happy with it; while I definitely need a lot more practice with the tools to get some finer (and smoother) lines, I like the darkness of the whole thing, and am itching to try some more linocuts.

This was another piece done as the monthly Goddess by Request over on my Patreon; for a pledge of $3 a month you get to weigh in on which Goddesses I paint.

Boann

And another Celt, this time an Irish one: this is Boann, the Goddess of the River Boyne in Ireland. Her name may mean 'She Who Has White Cows'; I've given Her cow's eyes as is proper. She is considered one of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the People of the Goddess Danu (or Ana), more or less the Gods of Irish myth.

I did this in watercolor for the May Goddess by Request over on my Patreon; I've also got Her up on prints (through deviantArt) and greeting cards (through Zazzle) as usual, if you feel you simply must take Her home to live with you. :)

Goewin

This is Goewin, from Welsh legend, which I did as a commission. She was the virgin footholder of Math, the lord of Gwynedd in the northern part of Wales. Her story is told in the Mabinogi, a collection of tales taken down in medieval times. Though the stories are presented as legend rather than myth (i.e. more like fairy tales than religious stories), many of the characters are clearly Deities, though it can be difficult to make out given that it was written down in Christian times. Some of the characters are said to be related to Dôn, the Welsh mother Goddess Who is probably the equivalent of Danu of the Irish. Math is Dôn's brother, and so in all likelihood a disguised God himself.

But back to Goewin. Math could only rule on the condition that, except in times of war, his feet rested in the lap of a virgin. That sounds like a strange condition, but it's probably related to the idea of Goewin as a sovereignty Goddess, a theme that was quite common in Celtic myth, especially among the Irish. A sovereignty Goddess represents the Earth and Her powers of fertility and life; in Celtic thought, the kingship was a partnership between the mortal King and the land he stewarded, protected, and ruled over. If he was not fit to be King, the land, in the personification of the Goddess of sovereignty, had the right to reject him. This is why sovereignty Goddesses (like Queen Medb of Irish legend) tend to have many husbands; not because they are insatiably promiscuous (though their sexuality is very much a part of their power), but because the Goddess is entitled to choose the man She likes best at the time, and discard those who are no longer worthy. That Math had to keep his feet in the lap of a virgin may mean that She represented that land and earth; the virgin condition may have come about because the sexuality of virgins was considered to be a concentrated form of that power.

In the story, however, Math's nephew conceives a lust for Goewin, and aided by his brother starts a war as pretext for sending Math away; while he is gone he rapes Goewin. When Math returns, he punishes the brothers by transforming them into wild beasts, and makes Goewin his queen to save her from shame. So the sovereignty Goddess ends up a sovereign Herself.

I put Her in white, for innocence, with a purple mantle for royalty. She holds Her hands in front of Her a little protectively, but She is still shown in an attitude of power.

Nana Buluku

Goodness, I've got a bunch of catching up to do here in regards to new art. First, a digital piece, done to look like a linoleum block print (sort of). It's of Nana Buluku, a Yoruba and Fon Goddess credited with creating the universe. Her children are Mawu, the Moon, and Lisa, the Sun. She is old, very old, and depicted as an ancient old lady. Purple is Her color, and She is associated with water, fish being a symbol of Her. She is shown here holding a carved calabash or gourd, which represents the two halves of the Universe in Yoruba thought--that of the Otherworld, the realm of the dead and the Deities, and the Earth, the land of the living. The pattern behind Her is a spiral meant to echo both galaxies (as She created the Universe) and the whirlpool that in some stories is said to be the entrance to Her home. I've also incorporated some 'sacred geometry' patterns (the circle within a square, and there's a barely-recognizable equilateral triangle in there too) to allude to Her creator role. The designs in the whirlpool are after those on adire cloth, an indigo resist-dyed cloth made by Nigerian women. The fish on Her skirt are after a carved door.

Done for the April Goddess by Request over on my Patreon. I've put this up on both prints (through deviantArt) and greeting cards (through Zazzle).

Kostroma

This is Kostroma, done for the March Goddess by Request over on my Patreon. She's a Russian earth Goddess Who can be described as a maiden or as a witch in the fields. In a song She is said to fall asleep underneath a birch tree to be awakened in the springtime with the Earth. I have put Her under the birch trees as She wakes up; it's winter on the left and spring on the right, and the Sun of the vernal equinox shines overhead.

The style is inspired by traditional Russian embroideries. It's acrylic on canvas board, about nine by twelve inches.

I've put this art up on both prints and cards as usual.

Anuket

It's Anuket this time, the ancient Egyptian Goddess of the Nile River in the area around the First Cataract, where the river is rocky and shallow, making navigation difficult. Her name means 'The Clasper', because the banks at that place are high and narrow and further constrain the River. The First Cataract was traditionally the border with Nubia, so I've given Her Nubian features.

It's done digitally like the earlier Bat piece, to look like an Art Deco lithographed poster, though I've taken plenty of cues from ancient Egyptian art as well, such as the shape of Her hands. I'm having a lot of fun with that style, and I'm really pleased with how this came out!

Her Obscure Goddess Online Directory entry is here, if you're interested in further reading.

And I've put Her up on cards and prints at Zazzle and deviantArt respectively.

Little Diana

Another in the apparent series of little Roman Goddesses in pen and ink with watercolor. They're all very small, only an inch and a half square. She's the Roman Goddess of women and the Moon; Her sanctuary on the shores of Lake Nemi inside a volcanic crater not too far from Rome was quite famous. She was renowned there as a healer.

I've put Her up on cards through Zazzle. I've got pretty much all my art up on cards there, which these days is well over a hundred designs of Goddesses and (some) Gods.

Anniversary!

So my Patreon is a year old now, and just look at all the Goddesses I painted over that year! Wow:

Thank you to all my patrons: your encouragement and support mean a lot to me, and have really helped. Thank you!

Medb

New art of Medb, an Irish Goddess of sovereignty, fertility, sexuality, independence, vitality, and strength. She's probably best known as Queen Medb of Connacht, who features in the Táin Bó Cuailnge, the Cattle Raid of Cooley; but She is originally a Goddess proper. There is another legendary (non-Goddess) Medb, also related, Medb Lethderg, Queen of Leinster, who took to husband (?) nine successive Kings of Ireland. A sovereignty Goddess represents the land and the right of the land to have a worthy ruler; in Irish legend, at least, the King and the land are symbolically bonded, hence Medb Lethderg's nine royal husbands, and Medb of Connacht's famous sexual independence and prowess, as she will not have an unworthy man in her bed.

In the Táin Medb is described as having a pet squirrel and golden bird, which hearkens back to Her role as Goddess of the land and its living creatures; I've put them on Her dress in a sort of La Tène-ish style that is hopefully writhing with vitality. Her name means 'Intoxicating', and is related to the English word 'mead'; She offers (or is thinking about offering) a golden cup of mead; I've also made Her hair the color of mead.

It's in acrylic, and let me tell you this piece had a mind of its own, all the way from the sketches to the finish. Which is unsurprising, really. She was done as one of the monthly Goddesses by Request over on my Patreon, where I went into some detail about Her strong will, ha.

I've put Her up on prints and cards as usual, if you've a hankering.

Bat

New art of Bat, a very old ancient Egyptian cow Goddess. She's the Goddess of the sixth nome of Upper Egypt, and likely dates back to Predynastic times, as that's probably Her on the Narmer Palette, a votive cosmetic palette that depicts the early King Narmer uniting the two lands. She may also be depicted on the Gerzeh Palette, which shows a stylized cow with stars on the tips of her horns and ears, with another on the forehead. The Egyptians associated cows with the stars and night sky, either because the spots reminded them of the stars (leopards, with their spots, were also associated with the starry sky in Egyptian thought) or because cows have a star-like whorl of hair on their foreheads.

Bat is closely aligned with Hathor, another cow and sky Goddess, and in time Her worship was merged with that of Hathor. She may have origins in a different type of early cow, though, as Her horns are a different shape and curve inwards.

Bat's name is from one of the Egyptian words for soul, the ba, with the feminine ending -t.

This piece is done digitally, in the style of an Art Deco poster; since that art movement was heavily influenced by ancient Egyptian art anyway (as Tutankhamun's tomb created quite a sensation when discovered in 1922) I thought it was appropriate. I kept the palette quite limited, in the style of a lithograph; I used a version of the old Egyptian color scheme (familiar from the jewelry) of dark blue (lapis lazuli), red (carnelian), and gold, though I left out the turquoise.

She's available on both prints (through deviantArt) and cards (through Zazzle).

Greeting Cards Up!

After a good deal of hair pulling and a stupid amount of patience, I've finally got my artwork up on greeting cards at Zazzle. That includes art from the World Goddess Oracle, the series of Gods I did a while back, and all the miscellaneous Goddess art I've done and have been doing lately through my Patreon. The price goes down if you buy ten or more, and you can mix and match as you please.

Amaunet

New art of Amaunet, the ancient Egyptian Goddess of air or hidden power. Her name means 'the Invisible One' or 'the Hidden One', and She is one of the eight Deities of the Hermopolitan Ogdoad credited with creating the world out of the primeval ocean. In one version, anyway, of the Egyptian creation myth; there were several competing tales, of course. The Hermopolitan Ogdoad were four male-female pairs of Deities; Amaunet's consort was Amun. The Goddesses of the Ogdoad were generally depicted with the heads of snakes, while the Gods were shown with frogs' heads; both animals were considered primeval. I have given Her a snaky body here; She is meant to be half-hidden in the depths of the ocean.

The original is quite small, only two by four inches; it's in colored India inks using white gouache as a resist, a tricky medium I've been experimenting with over on my Patreon. I was going for an Art Deco feel, but I'm not sure I quite got there, ha.