goddess painting of the day: Hekate

I know I promised to elaborate on the latest going on here at Art and Words. And believe me, if things go forth as it seems they may, this is sorta big news. But it’s Friday. And Friday is when I post my goddess painting of the day. So my news will have to wait until my next post. (Yes, I know I’m being mysterious . . . )

In keeping with the theme of mystery, I’ve decided to feature Hekate as the goddess painting of the day. And hey, it’s Friday the 13th.

Hekate is the Greek goddess associated with the crone aspect of the triple goddess. As the wise crone aspect of the triple goddess, Hekate symbolizes the dark, or waning moon—the time when the moon withholds its light before it illuminates the night sky once more.

Hekate was honored as the Dark One, a mysterious goddess who brought visions and knowledge from the realm beyond life. As goddess of the dark moon, Hekate was affiliated with storms, howling dogs and willow trees. The goddess is symbolized by a golden key, able to unlock untold riches from heaven and earth. In the famous story of Demeter and Persephone, it is Hekate who leads the bereft goddess to the sun god, Helios, thus reuniting mother and daughter.

This oil painting of Hekate was originally created for Persephone and the Pomegranate in 1992 — this is part of a larger painting, which depicts Demeter imploring Hekate for information regarding her daughter Persephone. Years later, I decided to use this section of the painting in the anniversary reissue of The Book of Goddesses.

Incidentally, I am planning a private reissue of Persephone and the Pomegranate. Many people have requested the book over the years, but it sold out when first published. I had originally planned to produce this new edition early this year — it was to be my second Art and Words Edition publication. But my work deadlines have proved more time-intensive than I originally thought. I’m still holding out hope the reissue will happen sooner rather than later, hopefully by the summer.

If you’re interested in Persephone and the Pomegranate and would like a heads up, shoot me an e-mail at e-comment at artandwords dot com. Or better still, sign up for my informal occasional newsletter.

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goddess painting of the day: Erda

If you live in the northern hemisphere, this is the time of year when the earth finally awakens from its winter-long slumber. Accordingly, it seems appropriate to feature Erda, the Norse goddess of the earth, as my goddess painting of the day.

Stories of Erda’s mysterious powers abound. She was believed to live in a cave within the earth’s deepest recesses, which was set next to the roots of Yggdrasil, the vast World Tree. The earth was thought to revolve on its axis around Yggdrasil, which was watered by Erda’s plentiful fountain of wisdom. Erda’s powers were as encompassing as Yggdrasil’s leafy span—indeed, the goddess and her magical fountain were often invoked by those in need of her far-reaching wisdom.

Others believed Erda could bend the inexorable powers of fate, over which she ruled. One myth tells how the Norse god Odin gave up one of his eyes for the privilege of drinking from Erda’s fountain; his quest for knowledge was worth more to him than the pedestrian gift of eyesight.

This little watercolor of Erda was painted for the new anniversary edition of The Book of Goddesses. It will also be published in my upcoming Goddess Inspiration Oracle this fall.

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goddess painting of the day: Amaterasu

With spring so temptingly near (yes, I know what the calendar says, but that has nothing to do with the schizophrenic weather we’ve been experiencing), here’s a goddess painting to lure the sun out.

This watercolor and gouache painting of Amaterasu was created for the anniversary reissue of The Book of Goddesses. It will also be featured in my upcoming Goddess Inspiration Oracle (which, if you haven’t downloaded the free Goddess Inspiration Oracle excerpt yet, I invite you to do so).

A benevolent solar goddess, Amaterasu is the supreme deity of Shintoism, a religion practiced primarily in Japan. Perhaps her most famous myth concerns the goddess’s anger with her brother, the storm god. To punish him, Amaterasu hid herself in a cave, thus plunging the world into darkness. Balance was restored when Amaterasu was lured out and entranced by her beautiful reflection in a strategically-placed mirror.

As you can probably tell, this is a small painting – it measures a scant 2.25 x 2.25″ square. I used my finest size 000 sable watercolor brushes to paint it. It was inspired by traditional Japanese prints of the goddess. If you’re interested, this painting of Amaterasu is available for purchase on my online gallery at kriswaldherr.com.

 

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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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goddess painting of the day: Sophia (with a side of Psyche)

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to paint Sophia, goddess of wisdom, for the recent reissue of The Book of Goddesses. Sophia is also associated in gnosticism with the holy spirit, which often takes the form of a dove.

Interestingly, my model for Sophia also modeled for Psyche in The Lover’s Path. Do you see a resemblance?

When I describe my creative process, I’ve mentioned that I usually use models that I know personally. Usually there’s something about them that reminds me of the deity or character they’re posing for, a quality that is often times more intangible than physical.

My model for both Sophia and Psyche was Christy Vaughn, a friend whom I know from the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra — she’s the principal violist. She’s also one of the most genuine, patient and nicest people I know. Thanks, Christy!

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