“Aphrodite Hastens to Warn Adonis”, 2022
Ink, acrylic, spray paint, paint marker and pencil on paper,
65 x 50 cm

Legend has it that when the ancient Greek goddess Aphrodite hastened to warn her mortal lover Adonis of an impending plot against him, blood drops from where rose bush thorns scratched her thighs dyed the white bloom petals red.

The genesis of this image sprung from the randomly applied spatters and strokes of ink and acrylic paint on what I call a “test” sheet. A page where I experiment with techniques before deploying their use, as well as emptying out pigment remaining on the palette as opposed to rinsing it down the sink. The marks reminded me of a cloudy night sky and mysterious illuminated fog in the distance.

The figure comes from a series of kinetic motion study photographs, wherein the model spun and lunged before long shutter exposures.

The roses are rendered after snapshots taken during a garden stroll.