Morrigan
“She knows death hangs over her, it hangs over all of us. But she is fearless. She will live her time. She will revel in her mortality as it flows through her veins, she will hold death in the palm of her hand and she will dance in-spite of the devil.” – Morrigan by Tanya Marie Reeves
Name
The name Morrigan means 'phantom queen' (or 'great queen') and describes a Goddess from old Ireland that was associated with war, destiny, fate and death. She was a shape-shifter and frequently appeared as a black crow.
Totems
Throughout history, the crow has been associated with both positive and negative symbolic meanings. The most common are:
• Life magic; mystery of creation
• Destiny, personal transformation, alchemy
• Intelligence
• Higher perspective
• Being fearless, audacious
• Flexibility, adaptability
• Trickster, manipulative, mischievous
Other traditional meanings associate the crow with bad omen, death, and dark witchcraft. The crow also carries the power of prophetic insight and symbolises the void or core of creation.
The skull is as a representation of death and mortality.
Driving Force
Through extraordinary art with exceptional style, I am an artist dedicated to celebrating and empowering women by creating strong, bold and beautiful paintings, choreographed with passion, abstract line and saturated colour. I take a woman’s inner strength and I bring it bolstering to the surface, heightening her physical prowess, celebrating her diversity, revelling in her beauty and sexuality, revealing her sensuality, her secrets and mystery. And most significantly, saluting her confidence, heart and spirited strength of character.
Inspiration and Work in Progress
Vanitas - a symbolic work of art showing the transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death, often contrasting symbols of wealth and symbols of ephemerality and death.
I was given this theme to partake in an online auction* as part of a collective group called The Monarch Art Collective. Vanitas, while most often portrayed as a still life artwork, including various symbolic objects designed to remind the viewer of their mortality and of the worthlessness of worldly goods and pleasures… I wanted to take the notion of this thread and spin it on its head to fit within my own style and purpose: Yes death is inevitable but living is worth fighting for.
I was so nervous starting on this piece! I had had a really shitty month for creating artwork which worked and was feeling a little lost and totally forlorn. But then I started to research the new theme I had been given and the magic happened! I was truly elated about my new idea and initial sketch I almost didn’t want to begin painting for fear of stuffing her up… which at one point I almost thought I had! There were quite a few changes along the way, and quite a few challenges, I think only about 5% of my actual plans went to plan, but she came into her own and when I look at her now I can hardly remember how I had seen her in my dreams.
Morrigan had been damaged and so has been off of the market. I have recently ressurected her.
Details
11 February 2019
H1219xW914mm – 48x36”
Acrylic and mixed media on stretched canvasOriginal Available