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.

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. :)

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.

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.

Nantosuelta

This is new art of Nantosuelta, a continental Celtic Goddess, Whose distinctive attribute is a little house (or temple) on a pole. That's been taken to mean She's a Goddess of happy domesticity; She can also be shown with apples (or other fruit or perhaps loaves of bread) or something that might be a beehive, so that does sound about right. Her name means either 'Meandering Stream' or 'Sunlit Valley', though given She is not usually shown with watery imagery I'm guessing the latter is more likely. Though who knows; that's just going by the depictions of Her that have survived the ages, of necessity an incomplete picture.

She is also quite often shown with a raven, which gives Her a darker aspect, as the raven is as far as I know always a symbol of death (or battle) in Celtic thought.

She was associated with the Celtic hammer-God Sucellos, and was his cult-partner (or one of them, depending on the region). He was Himself heavily associated with the wine harvest (and the center of Their worship was the wine-growing regions of France and Germany, especially the Moselle River valley); I thought an autumnal harvest scene was appropriate, with a burgundy-colored shawl to make reference to wine.

It's in acrylics and is something like ten inches tall; I've put it up on deviantArt as a print as usual if anyone's so inclined.

Done for the October Goddess by Request over on my Patreon.

Hathor of Gold

Hathor of Gold, Mistress of Turquoise, done for the September Goddess by Request on my Patreon. It's in metallic acrylic paint, with the color being the positive space, painted over the black outlines to get a certain line quality that I really like (like some prints). The original is nine by twelve inches, on canvas board, which I'm not sure I like all that well (too much texture for me). But I like the finished piece.

I've set it up as a print over at deviantArt as usual, if anyone's interested.

Ceres

New art of Ceres, the Roman Goddess of grain; this was done as the monthly Goddess by Request for August over on my Patreon (hey, for $3 a month you can tell me what to draw!) This one is in colored pencil, in a bit of a different technique than my usual heavy thick blended layers. I was trying to keep it sort of ethereal, like indirect and reflected lighting on marble; I got it pretty close to what I wanted. I went with a sort of northern Italian look for Her because She is often described as a blonde to go with the golden wheat that is Hers. She is wearing the corona spicea or wheat crown, though only the outside layer of grain ears are wheat: the droopy light brown ones are spelt, and the inner pale ones barley. The crown also has dried poppy pods and ripe rapeseed, from which canola oil is made (mentioned by an ancient author as a crop to be blessed by Ceres).

It's always fun to compose for a tondo (the circular composition that was quite popular in the Renaissance); I shall definitely have to do more of them. The original is about eight and a half inches in diameter, in Prismacolor colored pencils on bristol board. And again, I've put this one up as a print over on my deviantArt page, in case anyone's interested.

Finished Hekate of the Crossroads

It took me a while to get back to this and tweak it (the file is giant and kind of a pain in the arse, honestly), but here's the colored version of it. I'm mostly happy with it, though it didn't want to scan as well as I'd like and I may still not be entirely happy with it, ha. But here it is.

It's in black colored pencil with acrylic inks over it for a deep dark layered look.

It was originally done as the Goddess by Request over on my Patreon in May.

And as usual, I'm offering a print of this over on deviantArt in case you need a copy of your very own.

Mokosh

New art of Mokosh, the Russian and Slavic Earth Goddess known from the old pantheon of Kiev, where She had a statue. She is associated with water and weaving, and a traditional Russian embroidery pattern, of a woman between two horsemen, is said to depict Her. She is sometimes shown in the embroideries with upraised arms holding a bird in each hand.

She's wearing a sarafan, a traditional cone-shaped dress, over an embroidered blouse with horsemen on the sleeves, with a Ukrainian flower crown or vinok on Her head. The vinok has wheat, poppies (a common weed in wheat fields), and flax flowers to allude to Her role as weaving-Goddess. The blue drops of Her earrings and necklace, as well as the long flowing blue ribbons are symbolic of water.

The background is after Russian folk painting, and Her name is in Cyrillic lettering (which I hope I spelled correctly!) in the manner of an icon.

The original is five by seven inches, in acrylic on watercolor paper. This was done as the monthly Goddess by Request for July over on my Patreon page. I've also put prints up at my deviantArt site, here.

Hekate Black and White

Here's the black and white of the Hekate of the Crossroads I did for the May Goddess By Request; I've since put layers of colored ink over it. It's more or less done but I'd like to scan the final in again (it doesn't really scan well) and tweak it a little in Photoshop as I'm not entirely pleased with how it came out (I may be a finicky sort, especially when it comes to my own art). But I thought I'd share it in this state, because it does look quite nice. It's in colored pencil (though only the black ones), which, being wax based don't lift up when you layer washes of ink over them. It was certainly an experiment, and though I'm like I said a tiny bit dissatisfied with this one overall I am pleased with the technique and would like to use it again for another piece.

Anyway, though, here She is at a woodland crossroads, with a dense wall of yews behind, flanked by two dogs (Pharoah hounds provided the models, though they don't technically come in black). There is mandrake and henbane in the foreground, and behind Her is a primitive hekataion, which may have had its origins in three images of the Goddess hung on a pole, to act as a protective device at a crossroads. The masks are after Neolithic ones, and I have put Her in Thracian jewelry (the area She originally comes from), though the dress is a bit of a fantastic concoction meant to look like vipers' scales. Appropriate though, I thought.

Ameretat Art

Ameretat, the June Goddess by request, taken from suggestions over on my Patreon. She's one of the six Zoroastrian Amesha Spenta, or Divine beings/Deities Who emanated from the Creator Deity Ahura Mazda; They took part in Creation. Ameretat is the Amesha Spenta of immortality (that is precisely what Her name means, in fact) and long life on the earthly plane. She is also associated with plants, and therefore food in Zoroastrian thought.

The art is digital, to look like cut paper; I painted several large swatches with acrylic paint in some interesting textures, then scanned them in to use as patterns in Photoshop. There are a few reasons I did it that way, both physical and artistic. On the physical side, one) I'm just not that good with an X-acto knife, and two) I do have a little bit of carpal tunnel syndrome, and cutting finicky stuff with an X-acto knife for some reason really annoys it, so I prefer to avoid it. On the artistic side, it's so much easier to tweak colors in Photoshop if needed (in real life you'd just have to start over with a real piece of paper). The different colors are in layers, really quite analogous to the paper layers I'd be using if it were a physical piece, and each have a tiny little drop shadow. I think the illusion is pretty good, though it was definitely a new-to-me sort of technique, and I'm not necessarily real good at keeping things simple.

She's in ancient Persian (Achaemenid) clothing, as that was the main religion of that old Empire; I've shown Her with Persian roses, this really odd-looking type of rose that almost looks like a succulent, to allude both to plants and to food, as roses and rosewater are used quite a lot in Persian cuisine.

I've put Her up on prints here, if you're interested.