chapter xvi: karma

As im working my way through this goddess series I am constantly trying to improve my process and techniques while holding true to the design intent when i originally began this journey. This piece in particular felt like it came together easier than previous works. I let myself be less rigid in my choice of materials and in the end the piece felt more authentic as it came closer to being finished.

In the Lunar Faces | Feminine Divine series I’ve had to narrow down my focus in order to not overwhelm myself with the shear volume of goddesses associated with the moon. Arianrhod is a welsh goddess associated with the moon whose name means Silver Wheel. She has so many different associations with things such as death and rebirth, and guiding souls through the afterlife. She is a feminine celestial power which to me is why she was so important to be included. Her distinct attributes make her an important inclusion in this series.

This welsh goddess that is so often associated with the full moon, stars, and otherworldliness is the most recent completed piece in the Lunar Faces | Feminine Divine series. While most lunar goddesses play a large roll in fertility and water movements, Arianrhod is most known for her control of fates, death, and rebirth. She is a celestial being that is a part of the earliest known Welsh mythologies.

The business and admin side of operating your own small business has never been my favorite task. But in getting more of these goddesses completed, I’ve begun yo be excited about submitting them to national exhibitions both online and in person. Arianrhod will be making her debut this weekend at the Dickson ARTs Fest! I am thrilled to get to show her off! If you’re in the Dickson, Tennessee area come see her in real life, along with many other artists works!

chapter xv: the prophecy

In Lunar Faces | Feminine Divine, Diana has been a goddess that speaks to me personally throughout the whole series. Her relationship with Hecate and Luna to form a Triple Goddess is a powerful commentary of female friendships. All of them have some form of association with the moon and harnessing its power. They were a very easy choice to include in this series.

Diana is a goddess of the Roman Hellenistic religion. Together with Luna and Hecate, the three each represent a different aspect of Diana Triformis, the hunt, the moon, and the underworld. Diana quite literally translates into “goddess of the light and the moon”. She was a goddess that brought light into the darkness. She is so often associated with nature, fertility, and the moon. My goal with this piece was try to bring all of these aspects together as one work.

There are so many things to learn about this goddess but she really resonated with me in her connection to other goddesses. Bringing light into a dark place together, using the moon to light the way. The moon was such an important facet of this goddess that her inclusion in the series was automatic. She was also known for protecting those that could not protect themselves—whether it be animals or children. Diana Triformis is a powerful triple goddess who will never be alone in the work she does. 

I absolutely loved creating this piece. It was one that I truly sat down and made a plan, created a materials palette, and did practice sketches before jumping in to create the final product. I am enjoying the process of learning to be more organized, or at least making a game plan for a finished work. This way I have a better idea of what the final will look like when it finally comes to life. Whether it was the resin, the pastels, the ink, the oils, or wood carving—all of it was painstakingly planned out and practiced to make sure the best result would come about. I am so happy with the result and I cannot wait to continue on with this series.

chapter xiv: peace

Next up for lunar faces | feminine divine is Hanhepi Wi, also called Hanwi.  She is a moon goddess in Native North American religions, specifically among the Sioux and Lakota peoples. As a goddess of the moon she is intrinsically feminine and represents fertility, dreams, emotions, and transformations. She represents the rhythm of natural cycles. She is also the Goddess of motherhood, feminine power, and watches over women during their monthly cycle.

This was one of my favorite study sessions. Throughout this series, I’ve had friends and family pose as the goddess to give a more realistic body image and position. Through hanhepi I got to photograph a good friend while she was pregnant. It was a really beautiful moment and experience.

While researching this goddess I actually came across a lesson plan for Lakota elementary age students and it tells Hanwi’s story. It’s called “When the People Laughed at the Moon”. It’s a really powerful story, the main theme being jealousy. As a result the judgement given is the sun and moon can no longer share the same sky. If you’d like to read the lesson plan that shares the full story, check out https://www.wolakotaproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/01-Hanwi-Moon.pdf

Overall this piece was beautiful and powerful in the research but I found composing the work to be very difficult. So difficult that I put a pin in it to finish at a later time. Later turned out to be 2 years. In the end I’m glad I paused and came back to it because the finished product is so much better.