LA SIRENA Print

This work was inspired by the Goddess of the Sea, known in the Yoruba tradition as Yemanja or Yemoja. She was taken to Brazil and Cuba by the African Slaves where she was worshipped as the Mother Goddess of fertility, creativity and abundance. She is part of a series of nude 'Goddess' portraits, depicting the Divine Feminine, revealing the beauty, power and poetry of the ordinary female form. This piece shows the voluptuous figure stepping out of the waves, in a divine swoon, peaceful and perfectly at ease, delightfully dripping with the colourful vibrant lines of movement and dance. The painting is bright and joyful and the almost life-size, sensuous form of the 'Goddess' offers the viewer a tender intimacy with her. La Sirena is the Mermaid, and we are enchanted by her, captivated by her curves and lulled by the waves that surround her. The work is a mixed media of charcoal, gesso and acrylic. The drips and lines bring a playful, experimental loose style to quite a traditional nude, while the seascape behind her adds an abstract quality to a figurative piece. The combination of styles help bring this radiant feminine form to life.