Modern Myths

A modern feminine look at the mythological/folklore creatures from around the world.

No Ordinary Wild Thing

24x36 Acrylic and spray paint
In Greek Mythology the Centaur was a great and powerful creatures that would often be great warriors. The are often described as half horse and half man. The most famous was Chiron, a great archer, who trained Achilles. In my interpretation, I wanted to convey the strength and cunning of these creatures by including a bow and arrow. I decided to have my centaur based from the African zebra and the horns of kudu and body of a woman. The sunset in the background not only represents the planes of Africa but also the element of fire, which in the zodiac represents the centaur Sagittarius. While most people often recognize the centaur from Greek mythology, half human/half horse creatures have shown up all over the world in different cultures.

Under the Water Half the World Away

24x36 Acrylic and Spray paint
Mermaids are often described as half fish and half woman; however most representations follow the usual basic “mermaid tail” that we see in modern media. I wanted to bring a new idea to the old concept, by adding a different “fish” into design. I used the body of a jellyfish to create her tail and decided that using octopus tentacles as hair would not only look interesting but could also have a practical effect of how she moves and hunts through the water.

Move in Silence

9x12 Acrylic
Different cultures may have different varieties and descriptions for what a Fairy is; however, most of them agree that a fairy is a small woodland creature that has wings of an insect. This interpretation uses the Moth as a basis. She is a creature of the night and moves in silence as moths do. This fairy is created by combining the Cepcropia moth and the Promethea moth.

At Night I Come Alive

9x12 Acrylic
Nighttime is said to be hours of the Vampire. In many different stories and folklore, the vampire can shape shift from its’ human form to that of a bat. This interpretation shows the first emergence of the vampire in hybrid bat form, waking up for the evening of hunting. When it came to designing this creature, I looked at Australian Flying Fox as jumping point. The flying fox has an anatomy that compliments the human form nicely. This piece was featured in Soulard Art Gallery: Art of Darkness 2024

The Summoning

8” x 10” Acrylic
The Redcap comes from Anglo-Scottish mythology and describes a malevolent goblin like creature that soaks up the blood of their victims with their hat. In my version, I wanted to create a creature that could easily blend into nature and stay hidden from the outside world, but still pays homage to the original folklore.

Howl

18x24 Spray paint and acrylic Original sold
This was the first of the mythology series I did and while it does incorporate a hybrid creature, this piece was originally created to tell the story of Remus and Romulus from Roman Mythology. The woman’s body represents their mother who was often called “The She-Wolf” as she was not of Greek decent. She raised the twins, who would then found the city of Rome. The Wolf howling to the moon represents Romulus who defeated and killed his brother Remus (the wolf looking down) to become the leader of Rome.