"Heav’nly Venus, illustrious, laughter-loving queen, sea-born, night-loving, of an awesome mien; Crafty, from whom necessity first came, producing, nightly, all-connecting dame: ‘Tis thine the world with harmony to join, for all things spring from thee, O pow’r divine." - Orphic Hymn
I began 2020 as the Violet Crown Snake, holding space in ritual at the Prismic Vision 2020 event in Longmont. It is only recently that I've noticed the impact of that ritual on my life. I didn't realize that invoking the Snake, the Crown, and the resonance of Violet would open me up to a deeper connection the cosmos. Much of my year has been dedicated to learning about the Heavens; the rotations of the stars and planets, the astrology, and the great sea of mythology cloaking it all.
My first love on this new quest to learn the stars was Venus. I had known the myth of Aphrodite, born of the sea, who is the Greek Analog to the Roman Venus, and I knew vaguely that Venus ruled part of my natal astrology chart. My Venus is in Scorpio. But after an afternoon of Google searched I realized there was so much to learn about this one celestial object that has captivated the imagination of my ancestors.
Venus is remarkable in that her orbit makes a perfect rose in the night sky, transitioning from morning star, to hidden star, to evening star in a magickally consistent pattern. I dove deep. I learned all I could. I read books. I memorized her myths. I took workshops. I found her in the sky in the night and in the dawn light.
Enraptured I created a Triptych in her honor.
I wanted to revisit some techniques I've used in paintings before, especially inspired by this mixed media piece I created way back in 2016. To capture the rhythm of Venus, and the bands often associated with planets, I generated many patterns with sharpie and paint pen. I then overlapped and obscured those patterns with cut out objects. The symbolism of Venus was evoked through the objects, such as butterflies, bees, mandalas, and roses.
All three paintings were worked on Live on my Twitch Channel. I bounced ideas off my viewers, taking feedback in real time while I created the pieces. They helped me decide on orientation, listened to me wax poetic about the amazing qualities of Venus, and encouraged me when I was unsure of where the piece was going.
The palette was inspired by photographs of Venus and images of the the Goddess, such as Aphrodite standing in the shell.
After I completed my initial vision of the paintings I was unhappy with the palette. It had turned into a pastel mess, evoking Easter eggs more than the Goddess of Love and Beauty.
Not wanting to give up on the Triptych, I made a bold choice to further obscure and layer over the process I had already completed. Using a combination of gel medium, glass glitter, alcohol ink, liquid acrylic, and ink I set out to soften the colors.
As a new process it was quite nerve-wracking, as it took a long time for the gel medium to dry, and I was unsure if I had ruined my canvases or created something wonderful.
In the end the result was truly beautiful, fully capturing the essence of Venus for the invocation. The colors were softened, and the additional texture from the metallic paints and glass glitter caused the paintings to dance in the light.
The Venus Invocation Paintings will Premiere at the Avalon Drive Thru Arts Fair
I am attending the Avalon Drive Thru Arts Fair Saturday September 26th from 12-4, and I will have these three paintings on view and available for purchase for the first time. I will also have zine bundles and other paintings for sale. I look forward to seeing you on Saturday!
Each one is a one-of-a-kind masterpiece created to invoke Venus in one of her three aspects: Morning Star, Evening Star, and Hidden Star. Infuse your space with the Venusian energies.
Morning Star Venus Invocation
As the Morning Star Venus is in her stance as Warrior. She rises fiercely with the Dawn. This year she rose with the royal star Aldebaran, bringing a Queenly quality to her rise in the morning sky.
Evening Star Venus Invocation
As Evening Star, Venus is the Queen of Heaven, appearing just after Dusk to grace the sky with her luminous presence. Venus is the third brightest object in the sky after the Sun and Moon, making her a luminary of true power.
Hidden Star Venus Invocation
Venus spend a portion of her time out of sight, hidden behind the Sun or below the Horizon. During these times she is visiting the Underworld, like Inanna or Persephone, awaiting to be reborn again with mysterious knowing. I was born during one of these phases of descent, and resonate with the power of disappearing behind the veil from time to time.
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