Commissioned work Acrylic on linen
I was blessed to be given the opportunity to re-imagine this work based upon a previous work. The project took 3 months and 1 day to complete. It was an incredible journey and the house felt empty after she had left. I thought I would share the origins of this particular work and it's meaning. My client had requested a canvas version of a former work, I agreed with a request that I re-imagine the work, rather than copy it, as I have evolved as a person since the time of the original, and merely copying the work would have meant the work was flat and no longer representative of me as a person. My client agreed, and this was the result.
The story behind the original painting is a story of survival and transformation. The sacrifice of the woman's body, viewed by men as existing merely for their carnal pleasure, represents a quiet acceptance of her situation as she falls over the waterfall with her arms outstretched, trusting that the universe will catch her fall.
The blood rushing over the waterfall is symbolic of her continued existence despite the pain and trauma she suffers at the hands of such men..."a tryst a tryst, for the hungry beasts". Despite this, she not only continues to exist; she becomes a part of her natural environment, and nature itself begins to speak on her behalf; the trees in the forest are her witness, every raindrop is an accusation against those who have harmed her, and taken advantage of her innocent heart; an innocence they ultimately rejected.
"They felt it rise up, as her HEART stuck in their throat.
Forcing them to spit her out."
SokoĊa - The Falcon
The blood soaked into the soil;
Life in all its messy incarnations;
A worthy sacrifice to the Gods of fate.
But even as they ate her flesh,
her generous HEART continued to beat deep inside their belly,
and as time went by, even their conscience was stirred.
They felt it rise up, as her HEART stuck in their throat.
Forcing them to spit her out.
They tried to bury her in the sodden ground.
And yet, it continued to throb beneath the soil,
until every tree in the forest was swaying to the beat.
And they heard her blood rush over waterfalls;
And they saw her soaring on the wing of a falcon;
And they felt her HEART beat in every raindrop,
as it fell to the ground towards its final destination.
The re-imagined work shows the transition towards healing. The blood has been transformed into fiery red hair, an embodiment of her passion and strength. As she is being embraced by the water and forest around her, two cranes join her, one symbolically covering her, protecting what was previously taken from her and restoring respect for that which was taken for granted. It falls in unison with her to show her that she is not alone, the spirit of the divine is with her. The second bird comes in without fear, and settles among calmer waters, ready to reach for the bounty presented before it in the form of a golden fish, a bounty that also awaits her once she has completed the transition.
The goldfish represents the fruits of all her striving; gold being a symbol of the divine masculine; it reminds her that the reward represents divine intervention; the promise of the new beginnings that each day brings and a promise of divine union; the eventual coming together of the yin and yang. She is whole.
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Comments
"Lady over waterfall" is a beautiful symbiosis of visual art, folk motifs, poetry, and deep emotional reflections. Tiny parallel brush strokes make this painting look like a richly-colored tapestry, especially given the large scale of the canvas. And the symbolism and raw openness brings parallels to Frida Kahlo, who was one of the first female artists to bravely reflect on personal physical and emotional traumas. Very impressive artwork!