She started out as Persephone, gathering flowers by the sea, only to be swept up into the arms of Hades on his chariot pulled by four coal-black horses and dragged underground.
But have you ever really looked at coal? Its iridescence? The oily layers of rainbow color under the shiny black? It is never a dull, monochromatic rock, merely, and elementarily, sedimentary. Under certain light it rivals the flowers for color. Its combustibility matched her nature far more closely than the flowers. In truth, she longed to take the reins of the chariot herself and drive those coal-black horses through the mines and tunnels, tearing through Hell like an underground fire that can never be extinguished.
Her face was obliterated by the golden mask that she donned willingly, and she became a Warrior.
Acrylic on paper with glass beads, feather, and Kuba cloth. 38 x 72 cm.
1 comment:
This painting really did start out as Persephone. I struggled and struggled with it, and realized I was more interested by the colors in the horses than in depicting the passive Persephone. In truth, this is the story of the painting process itself, in this instance.
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