Summoning Kaia

Oil on masonite. 2007

With the topic of my show featuring “lack of restraint in depiction of strength,” I decided to create a monumental female figure (at 22"x30" this is the largest painting I've ever done). In the process this painting emerged, and became the thesis for my show.
In Brad Holland’s class I chose to repaint the cover for the novel Destroyer Goddess by Laura Resnick. In the book a sorceress had the ability to open the earth and summon forth lava. There was also an evil white dragon that was killed, chopped up into six pieces and thrown into the ocean. Later six dragons emerged out of the ocean. Great ideas, but in the end I just wanted to paint a priestess summoning a dragon. Since I like green dragons best and am my own Art Director, I made a departure from the original idea in order to have some fun!
The model was a fellow patron at Provo Art & Frame. She’s a professional model and is great to work with. She has since modeled for an upcoming painting of an Egyptian queen. Also, two of her daughters appear in the mermaid painting "Low Tide."

Technique:
I didn’t do a preliminary study or even an under drawing…I wanted to convey energy in this painting, so I applied the paint thickly (impasto) and decisively, building the image as I painted. It’s kind of scary to work this way because it feels like at any moment the painting may spiral out of control and plummet into oblivion, and unfortunately that happens a lot.