Mother Earth: Her Self-Portrait 1200x800 including a collage Real earths with hand-made paintbrushes and a palette

In ancient times the earth was perceived as a mother, giving birth to, and sustaining all nature – a highly creative, self-generated deity. Eliade wrote “if Earth is a living fecund Mother, all that she brings forth is at the same time organic and animated; not only men and trees, but also stones…all things she carries in her bowels are homologous with embryos”. The grains of soil are therefore her paints. Using the prehistoric art motifs and sifting sand over repeated layers of glue I tried to create the dust-storm which stirred her intellect and inspired her. From a real rabbit’s tail and a twist of natural wool mounted on natural twigs I created the brushes used for part of the picture while the red kidney palette became the metaphor of her ever-swollen belly.