goddess painting of the day: Venus redux

Though the world is still grey here, I’m encourage that spring has officially arrived on the calendar. And in honor of this happiest of seasons, here’s two paintings I created of the Roman goddess Venus.

Though most people equate Venus with love and sensuality, she was first honored as a deity who primarily concerned herself with vegetation and gardens. Thanks to the all-pervasive influence of Greek culture on the Roman world, Venus became affiliated with Aphrodite, the powerfully persuasive Greek goddess of love.

Nonetheless, remnants of Venus’ origins can be discerned in the writings of the poet Ovid. He wrote that Venus was worshiped at the Veneralia, a festival celebrated April first. For this holiday, Ovid implored women to “wash the statues of Venus all over, put their golden necklaces on again and give them roses and other flowers; and then, as the goddess commands, you must wash yourself under the green myrtle.” Roses are still associated with Venus to this day.

The first painting of Venus is a watercolor that I created for The Book of Goddesses. It also was reproduced in The Goddess Tarot and my novel The Lover’s Path. It doubled in The Lover’s Path as a portrait of Tullia, a courtesan who poses as the goddess of love in the book.

The second Venus is a small oil painting which was created for The Lover’s Path Tarot. It will also be featured in my upcoming Goddess Inspiration Oracle, to be published this fall.

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