Painting my way South of the Border~~~
To the land of the ancient Aztecs and their Moon Goddess/Mother Goddess Xochiquetzal for whom a giant pyramid is erected in
Teotihuacan . Xochiquetzal (dubbed 'Madam X) is also mother to the famous
Quetzalcoatl the feathered serpent God.
My journey took me into unfamiliar territory and a culture with deeply ancient roots, a place of mystery, superstition and shamanism. As a major Goddess of the Aztecs Xochiquetzal was honored for the blessing of abundant crops and procreating livestock. She is usually depicted as being followed by birds and butterflies and ruled over love, marriage, women, weaving and changes and was the patroness of sacred prostitutes, physicians, artists, and dancers. Her name means 'Goddess of the flowering Earth'.
Here is an ancient depiction of her:
Bringing Xochiquetzal into the 21st Century~~~
As an artist looking at the image above I was at first flummoxed as to how I would represent her. It helped as always to be working with
Peggy Petersen who has spent a lot of time in
Southern Mexico and she brought the culture alive for me. We looked at the clothing that was worn by the Aztecs, and she also turned me onto the powerful voice of contemporary singer
Lila Downs whose music depicts the soul of the Mexican feminine. Her face and energy influenced my rendering of Xochiquetzal.
Jaguars appeared early on, edging through the shadows of the deep jungle of my psyche and quietly took their place next to Madam X. Then the Quetzal birds flew in followed by Monarch Butterflies and then I had my primary elements and set to work.
Here is the initial drawing for the painting which I've covered with a thin coat of paint or tint also known as
Imprimatura :
Next came sky...
Then came the moonlight on the water, rocks and the beginnings of jungle foliage...
And along came the birds...
The first jaguar...(and then then the spotted one in stages)...
Her face began to emerge...and here she is almost complete!!!
Posted in Karen MacKenzie's 'Empowered Feminine Zodiac' series. Updated 02/11/2012.
Share on
StumbleUpon, Delicious or Digg.
comments