Monday, March 20, 2017

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!

Thursday, March 9, 2017

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.