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The creative process behind my new Zodiac painting, 'Gemini' I've just completed my third painting in a series of twelve that will span the Western Zodiac while delving into world cultures, mythologies, and archetypes. Before I go any further I would be remiss in not giving ample credit to my colleague and friend Peggy Petersen who has been collaborating in this journey. Peggy is a scholar and teacher and has a vast knowledge of women's spirituality and as well facilitates workshops (based on the wonderful work of Dr. Brene' Brown).
When I first started this series of Zodiac paintings, I had a quasi sense of what I'd like to accomplish. It has however taken on a life of its own and until I hammer out ideas with Peggy I'm never sure what's next. Which I actually enjoy! Along those same lines I made a BIG leap for this painting and switched mediums (how fitting for oft times fickle Gemini) and moved from Gouache into Oils. I had painted in oils before, but without appreciating their complexity and nuances. Another influence at this juncture was my friend Juli Adams whose luminous work rekindled my love of oils.
Finding the perfect Gemini archetype for my painting In the midst of my meeting with Peggy I realized that I needed to let go of my idea of an Angela Davis archetype for Gemini (Peggy convinced me she'd be much better as Leo partnered with Sekhmet the lion-headed Egyptian Goddess)...So, what next? Well you've never seen anything like Peggy going after information on the internet. I swear the computer smokes! So obviously we were looking for a Twin archetype and after wild dialogues around Yin and Yang, God and Devil and so forth she (almost blithely) mentioned Iris and Arke the twin Goddesses of the rainbow. I knew about Iris, but who was Arke? And so the plot thickened with alliances between the old ways (the Titans) and the new (Olympians) represented by the twins, along with their family history being the daughters of Electra (who controls the sky elements, and Thaumas God of the wonders of the sea).
Without going into all of the details, we fleshed out what sort of images would go with Iris & Arke in the context of Gemini and then the ball was in my court to take it from there. That's when I start to do sketches and find (and take) photographic references...and ponder and stew and open myself to hopeful flashes of inspiration!
Work-in-progress photographs of 'Gemini'
 Eventually, using lots of reference material, I got the drawing down onto my painting surface and I'm out the gate so to speak!
 This is a portion of the upper half of the painting with it's first layer of blue paint.
 Here I am anticipating the transparency of the rainbow dresses by painting in the outline of their bodies which I later glazed over. The rainbow arch in the background is already filled in.
 I loved the results of the dresses (glazing is impossible with Gouache, which is one reason why I switched to Oils for this painting). Arke (left) has a lighter dress because she is moving into the past, while Iris' dress on the right is more solid.
 Here's my painting area, complete with a couple of my final palettes of paint. Note the rainbow of colors!
 My cozy painting corner, with books, light, brushes, paints included. :-)
 Peek-a-boo! There are The Girls awaiting the final touches!
 Voila! A quick snapshot of my 'Gemini' painting finished. See the full-size Gemini painting here. (Prints will be available soon).
Thanks for taking this journey with me. I'll try and make time to backtrack to Aries and Taurus and to maintain documentation of that process too!
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Peggy said:
Karen,
I am always amazed and moved by our process in coming up with the why's and wherefore's of which Goddesses to assign to a particular astrological sign. Western Astrology sorely neglects the Divine Feminine, as you know. Even with my background as a Thealogian, our collaboration is challenging me to deepen and become ever more creative in my research and understanding of the myths, stories, and presence of these Divine Women. You have helped me to see them on much deeper levels as I work to explain and convince you about the why's and wherefore's. Thank you SiStar for being a part of my journey!
_/|\_ Blessings Bright and Dark )O(
Peggy