Erato

Yes, I do plan on finishing the series I start. Sometimes it takes a year or two.

This is Erato, Muse of love poetry. I tried to make her a counterpart to the muse of epic poetry, Calliope (in the red, below): the former light, fragile, all water and air; the latter stalwart, sombre, a muse of fire and stone. The verse embroidered along her hem is from a love poem by Sappho (I hope - I don't read Greek, so I'm relying on university websites for honesty).

Still deliberating over the hair. I wanted to make it pale, but it feels a bit too pasty. Hmm. That's the nice thing about light colours. If I change my mind, I can go in and alter it later.



Many thanks for reference stock to for the seagulls and for the superb model image.

First work of 2014 - mixed media (watercolour, ink, coloured pencil.)



EDIT:

Oh, my goodness! Thank you so much to Sylwia Telari for suggesting this one for a DD, and Jane Beata for featuring it! :hugs: Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm deeply honoured, and so proud of my poetry twins (Erato and Calliope) who both now have one to their name. I can't say it enough - Thank you!

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Limited-edition, archival-quality prints of this painting are available on Etsy.

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