Water Goddess

Water Goddess, originally uploaded by LindaDianeTaylor.

This may sound arrogant or perhaps even a little over the top.. but here goes.. "I have painted a "masterpiece". I finished the Water Goddess.. signed my name and everything. I have been sitting with her for a couple of hours and am mesmerized. She is beautiful.. and an amazing piece of ART.

I have been painting off and on for about 25 years. Really never had the time to put the energy I wanted to into it. I have pages and pages of ideas that I've never been able to develop. Now as I don't have much else to do and for reasons I won't get into am pretty much isolated from the world. So I paint and write and paint some more.

My masterpiece started off as a male figure in my mind sort of like a sage or maybe a wise one. The original drawings were actually of a man. I could see the figure rising out of the water in the Burrard Inlet in Vancouver.. I could see it in my mind the figure emerging slowly as I sat on the bench at Lonsdale Quay contemplating where I have been and where I am going.

As the painting went on, it went from male to androgenous and eventually to female. And as I look at the progress pictures she actually looked pregnant for a bit. Now she appears to be holding something.. like holding a baby.

Many people have commented through facebook and through email about what they see as the painting has progressed. Some saw it as the returning Jesus, some Mother Mary.

And a man told me there was not one live starfish in the Burrard Inlet and that the great Gaia is really peod because we are killing all of her creatures. She is rising up to show her displeasure. He called it the Wrath of Gaia.

A couple of friends saw her representing the street women of Vancouver who have recently risen and formed a militant group protesting the Olympics and trying to bring awareness to the women who have been murdered on hwy here in BC known as the Highway of Tears. She actually looked quite sad and broken at the time. Her eyes were still closed. I remember looking at the painting and thinking she better wake up and spent the next couple of days redoing her face so she could have eyes open.

Once her eyes were opened several named her the Water Goddess, others saw her as Yemanjá, Virgin de Regla or the Black Madonna (she was very dark at one time) and a couple see her as the Lady of the Lake coming from Camelot. Nemue.

Perhaps she is all of these things. I don't really know. All I do know is that she is beautiful today.

And for some odd reason I just want to enjoy her for a wee bit . Plus, I have no idea what I am going to do with the painting as it is large.. 30 x 40. A part of me wants to take it down to Londsdale Quay and just sit with her on the bench. I might do that as soon as it is dry.. paint is a bit wet yet.

Actually.. it is near dry.. I think we will go take a walk and check out all the Olympic Venues!! anyone want to video the experience??

Completed Feb 19, 2010