Before the Beginning Gaea Mothered Everything
Mother of Twelve Titans
In search of Goddesses for my series where I view the mythology of all the religions through a contemporary feminist lens, I've discovered Gaea, the great grandmother and matriarch of the pantheon of the
more familiar Greek Gods; Zeus, Apollo, Venus and the rest.
Gaea created herself, the universe, her husband, and gave birth to the 12 Titans…6 of whom were female!
For my Titan series, I'm making eleven of them Titan Goddesses…with just one exception…portrait to come!
My model for Gaea is a renowned ceramicist, who creates luxurious prayer bowls through a methodical but also spontaneous process that involves scratching, carving, writing, forming, glazing and…praying the wood fire kiln performs its miracle.
I have portrayed her calm and stately, seated and powerful presence, draped in her own African-inspired finery.
In her lap, posing as Gaea, she holds an organic formed bowl to
create the sparkling copper universe and heavens that surround her.
The halo behind her head is the heart of it all, a reference to one of her own creations and its
miraculously formed copper center, her "Mothering Prayer Bowl".
Thea, Titan Goddess of Sunlight
Bringing light and art where it's most needed
First of my planned series of 12 Titans from Greek Mythology, my golden-brush-wielding Titan of Sunlight is a real-life artist, activist and educator. She engages her community to create colorful murals to bring sunlight, joy and visual interest to the blighted areas of a depressed urban city in Ohio and brighten the path schoolchildren must walk each day.
Themis, Titan Goddess of Justice
…and also, 1 John 4:11, Love is Love
For Themis, the Titan Goddess of Justice, I chose a real-life LGBTQ+ activist who happily posed brandishing her gavel of justice, wearing the LGBTQ+ Progressive flag with a Ruth Bader Ginsberg collar.
The tondo format reinforces the cyclic nature of the history she is trying to make and change. Because I will sometimes rename a painting to extend the reach and audience, I added the bible verse title to this painting. 1 John 4:11 goes like this: “My loved ones, if God had such love for us, it is right for us to have love for one another.”
It is a reminder to those who are familiar with the scripture that Love is Love,
and we should all be allowed to marry the one we love.
Chiaroscuro, Titan Goddess of the Moon and the Eclipse
…and the Eclipse
When my hometown was on the path of totality for the 2024 Eclipse, I invented
Chiaroscuro, the Moon Titan who ushers in this once in my lifetime event that so struck me with its profound calm.
Her halo is the black shadow cast on the sun, the silver penumbra is what held me spellbound during our 3 minutes of daytime darkness. Her hands cast Ouroboros shadow puppets to symbolize ancient eclipse mythology.
My model, chosen for her dark and light hair and her adventurous and artistic spirit,
could not have been more perfect; she really had an Ouroboros tattoo!
Liberté, Titan Goddess of the Moon and Menstruation
We really just need a Titan of Menstruation. Period!
I’ve invented a few Titans…and stars…to add to the legends.
Liberté controls the moon’s monthly cycle that naturally mirrors a woman's menstrual cycle.
Subtly pictured in the blood red sky are the Menstruella Major and Menstruella Minor constellations;
colloquially known as Heavy Flo and Light Flo. Liberté proudly honors menstruation as an indicator of liberty and freedom. Her monthly period means a woman is free from pregnancy and child-bearing.
Menstruation is also an indicator of a woman’s freedom to become pregnant should she choose to do so.
Liberté…and the artist, firmly believe it is her body, her choice.
Tethys Oceanus, Titan Goddess of All Water
…Sweet and Salty
In the original pantheon of twelve titans, there are two for water;
Tethys for lakes and streams, and her husband Oceanus, for oceans and seas.
Because I felt this was a bit much, I merged the two into one Titan for all water; sweet and salty.
Because she was a trans woman, my model perfectly embodied this union.
I gave her conch shells and stuffed sea turtles to pose with, when she asked for a shield and sword.
Luckily, my prop room is well stocked and weapons of battle turned out to be perfect for a mighty Titan who calls up the ocean waves and calms the rivers and lakes.
Because she is a poet, I added the pen nib to her sword…making her sword even mightier than a pen alone.