Hello everyone, I hope you are having a great day! :)
Here's another illustration from my Women and Mythology series. This time we are taking a look at asian mythology, more specifically Mazu, the Chinese goddess of the sea. She is considered to be a compassionate deity, helping those in need, and protecting fishermen and sailors. She was originally human before ascending to a goddess. However, even as a girl, she already had a mystical gift, helping her predict changes in weather.
Traditionally, she is sitting on a throne, dressed with a red robe, but I took some liberties with these representations. I wanted her to look like she was part of the water, her robe turning into waves and foam at her feet. She is sitting on a rock in the middle of the raging sea, holding a boat and protecting the sailors until the storm has calmed down. For the water in the foreground, I was inspired by traditional asian art style, such as The Great Wave by Katsushika Hokusai.
In the first drafts of the painting I added flowers on the golden disk, but in the end I opted for a wave pattern as it fitted better with the whole concept. I also changed the hairstyle along the way.
I am trying to keep all the illustrations in this series consistent, so this is the usual color palette consisting of grey, gold and a hint of red.
Happy viewing :)
