Original oil painting on cradled board
Painted area: 61 × 61cm
‘Eurus’, the East Wind, is the second in a series paintings depicting the four winds, inspired by the Anemoi (winds) of Greek myth. Traditionally shown as winged gods or winged horses, I have re-birthed them as goddesses, fully embracing the storyteller’s prerogative to re-frame a tale, offering an alternative narrative. Each directional wind deity is associated with a season, and has their own characteristics.
Eurus is the Autumn wind, either hot and dry, or rain-bringing - as fickle as the season she’s associated with. She lives in the East near the palace of the sun god Helios, from where she blows. Like all the winds, her parents are Eos, goddess of the dawn, and Astraeus, god of dusk.
This Eurus is at home in her body, peacefully confident, her story told through symbols arising from the Greek myths. Her autumnal wings, are coloured for the falling leaves, and her russet hair is ‘tawny with too much sand…’ (Valerius Flaccus, Argonautica 1). As ‘saviour of Sparta’, she was also venerated by the Spartans for driving enemy ships away from their shores, as illustrated by the waves on her lower leg. Her link with the Spartan army is also symbolised by her bull and lion ‘tattoos’, which were both used as shield emblems in the Spartan army. At the same time, she was worshiped for bringing the weather required for fruitful autumn harvests in Sparta.
My narrative paintings reflect my enduring interest in the power of stories; how they can at once explain our experience of the world, and actively re-shape our personal and collective narratives. In the re-telling of stories, male role-models can also be female, and beauty and peace can sit comfortably alongside power.
You may also like Zephyrus, the West Wind.
Please enquire about shipping before purchase if you live outside the UK.
Original oil painting on cradled board
Painted area: 61 × 61cm
‘Eurus’, the East Wind, is the second in a series paintings depicting the four winds, inspired by the Anemoi (winds) of Greek myth. Traditionally shown as winged gods or winged horses, I have re-birthed them as goddesses, fully embracing the storyteller’s prerogative to re-frame a tale, offering an alternative narrative. Each directional wind deity is associated with a season, and has their own characteristics.
Eurus is the Autumn wind, either hot and dry, or rain-bringing - as fickle as the season she’s associated with. She lives in the East near the palace of the sun god Helios, from where she blows. Like all the winds, her parents are Eos, goddess of the dawn, and Astraeus, god of dusk.
This Eurus is at home in her body, peacefully confident, her story told through symbols arising from the Greek myths. Her autumnal wings, are coloured for the falling leaves, and her russet hair is ‘tawny with too much sand…’ (Valerius Flaccus, Argonautica 1). As ‘saviour of Sparta’, she was also venerated by the Spartans for driving enemy ships away from their shores, as illustrated by the waves on her lower leg. Her link with the Spartan army is also symbolised by her bull and lion ‘tattoos’, which were both used as shield emblems in the Spartan army. At the same time, she was worshiped for bringing the weather required for fruitful autumn harvests in Sparta.
My narrative paintings reflect my enduring interest in the power of stories; how they can at once explain our experience of the world, and actively re-shape our personal and collective narratives. In the re-telling of stories, male role-models can also be female, and beauty and peace can sit comfortably alongside power.
You may also like Zephyrus, the West Wind.
Please enquire about shipping before purchase if you live outside the UK.
