Galene's Kiss Print

I like to include symbolism in my work, whether that’s crystal therapy, scandanavian folklore, pagan, catholic… too many to list here. I’m obsessed with religion, mythology and the crossing over of Chinese whisper stories in the history of our current belief systems in the way only an atheist can be. I find it all so spellbinding. So in this mermaid painting, I added a rose quartz egg – rose quartz being traditionally associated with inner love and peace. Galene is arching up towards the skyline, almost like she is kissing the sea calm, and her hands are splayed in front of her, one in the water, one out as if she is commanding both the water and the weather to be still. There is a difference in the setting that Galene finds herself in – the blue waves of the cool sea as the backdrop and the warmer shallow rock pool in the foreground. The waves and rocks I painted in a kind of frenzy, but the foreground was built up with many layers to create a feeling of craggy depths and frothy plantlife beneath still water. I used a thin gouache layer to create the top coat and create a translucent overlay and give the impression of shallow reflection. The light from the sun that has just broken through the clouds, reflects back off the surface onto Galene’s torso. Not dissimilar to the flashes of light reflecting back onto the siren in my painting, Siren Call. But unlike Siren Call, Galene’s nudity is not meant to represent desire. He hair hangs long and fair down her back in half wet tangles, drying in the sun. And, although beautiful, she is completely preoccupied with the task at hand.