the first 'proper' painting I did when I picked up my paintbrushes late last year after decades of non art, was a painting of Persephone. It came about after doing some sketchbook studies of pomegranates, and then I became curious about this amazing fruit and wanted to know more and find out how it may be used in symbolism, and thats how I came to learn about Persephone. I was fascinated by her mythological story, how she was condemned to imprisonment in the darkness of the underworld for half a year every year for all time because to be freed she must not eat, but she was tricked by Hades the king of the uderworld into eating some pomegranate seeds.
My painting shows her at the entrance of the underworld, ready to step out to freedom, but before she does she is entranced by the pomegranates left on a rock and stops to taste a seed.
After painting this, (and I never felt I had really finished it) I didn't think it very good and I lost faith in myself. I thought I needed more tuition to improve my skills, I gave up imaginative painting as I tried to learn 'art' in a more formal way. But that didn't really get off the ground either.
Now, when I look at the sketches I did on my route to this painting, I remember my excitement and the sheer pleasure of journeying into that imaginary world.
My painting of Persephone had so much to tell me, but I wasn't listening because I was caught up in judging its artistic 'merit' and so I abandoned her.
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