SEA MAIDEN Sculpture

• What/who inspired the work? Sea Maiden is inspired by the Norse mythological stories of the Valkyrie, a female helping-spirit of the war-god Odin. A primary function of the Valkyrie is to decide who will survive war, and who will perish in it. It has been postulated that the Valkyrie known as Herja may reference Hariasa, an ancient Germanic goddess attested on a stone. • What do you hope its viewers will feel/think? I hope viewers see both my homage to the traditional female form in art, and my abandonment of it; historically, the female nude has often been devoid of content and context, but, here, its precarious balance on the “rocks” beneath, its contorted position, and its face-concealing gesture convey otherwise. • Why did you choose the medium, subject matter, style? Sculpture enables me to offer powerful multiple views of the reclining figure: the covered face, bent arms and legs, crossed feet, and stretched, arched torso, are apparent with every rotation of the piece. Moreover, all of these elements are physically elevated by the rocks that function as a kind of pedestal --- these not only contribute to the figure’s narrative, but showcase its implicit naturalistic movement and dramatic anatomical form. Keywords: sculpture, sensual, female nude, classical, reclining nude, curvaceous, turquoise, erotic, nude