Medium: Acrylic and Glass on Masonite
Dimensions: 32" x 24"
Date: February 2003
Initially, this mermaid was a self-portrait...it eventually grew into something more. A lot of the clearish-white vague looking spots are where I used reflective glass - it was hard to pick up on the computer and can only really be appreciated in the original. This painting is bigger than I normally paint, and one of my largest yet. I still really enjoy looking at the dancing colors...
About Mermaids:
Mermaids have long been in every culture's
folktales and stories. They go by many names:
mermaid, maerin, mermen, nereids, sirens,
lorellei, minne, mari, harpies, ninyos, lamias,
undines, apsara, iara, water nymphs... They
are a permutation of the very ancient, primordial
sea goddess, or fish goddess who has been
called many names: Aphrodite, Yemanja, Tiamat,
Mariamne, Kupala, Ran, Cliodna, Dubh Lacha,
Ganga, Mami Wata, Sedna. Mermaids in Greek
and Western myths are typically beautiful
women on the top halves of their bodies, and
fish on the lower halves, who spend a lot
of time sunning and bathing themselves on
sea and river rocks. They lure sailors by
their beautiful singing, mesmerizing them
to their deaths in the deep waters.
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