Salacia-Ocean Goddess Painting

“Salacia – Ocean Goddess” (16″ x 20″ on narrow-gauge stretched canvas) – SOLD

Because of COVID-19’s Stay Home Stay Safe guidelines, you’re likely no stranger to that longing feeling for a change of scenery. Perhaps it’s for a very specific landscape. Is it the mountains, forests, or lakes? For me, it was the ocean. I’m definitely a water baby. That’s what inspired this latest painting, “Salacia” – goddess of the sea.

We were lucky here in Newfoundland. Advised to stay home except for essential errands and neighbourhood walks, we could still hop in the car to seek out open spaces close to home. If you watched my Ocean Meditation, you know I borrowed my house sister’s car to drive close to Cape Spear on April 7th. They closed that road shortly after because it was part of a National Park.

There are many other ocean vistas I could have driven to, but I’ll admit, I got comfortable staying in the neighbourhood, hunting for crocuses and purple carpets of Scilla siberica blooms and walking the river trail.

I felt grateful to be out at all, hearing stories of countries where people had to get a permit to go grocery shopping.

Weeks after my last drive, my heart longed for the ocean again. So I took that longing to the canvas.

I didn’t have any of my regular gallery-wrapped canvases stretched on 1 1/2″ wooden frames. But I had a leftover student canvas from one of my workshops, stretched on a narrow-gauge 1/2″ frame.

Do you recognize the figure?

I used the leftover purple pumice gel and foam stencil I designed two weeks before to create the Spirit of Transformation butterfly body on “Visionary“. I had applied it to this blank canvas at the same time, before throwing out my stencil.  That figure had longed dried and was now beckoning for me to bring ocean energy into the studio.

Unlike “Visionary”, “Salacia-Ocean Goddess” (16″ x 20″) only has a few layers of paint on her. That’s all she needed.

An important goddess in Roman mythology, Salacia is the female divinity of the sea.

She eventually became the wife of Neptune after he sent a dolphin to search for her. In awe of her suitor, she had hid from him in the Atlantic Ocean. In thanks for persuading her to come back to him, Neptune gave the dolphin a place in the heavens in the form of the constellation Delphinus. Read more on Wikipedia.

Crowned in seaweed and gracefully  rising from the salt waters in the company of two dolphins, Salacia was brought to life on this canvas to help us navigate through the tumultuous waters to find serenity, gratitude, playfulness, and celebration.

“Salacia” (16″ x 20″) – acrylics, pearl mica (energy of love & compassion) & pumice on narrow-gauge canvas. Special price – SOLD

Within days of completing “Salacia”, I was on my bike for my first ride of the year. This was also the first time in months that I’d spent time with my friend Leslie in person (at a safe distance, of course).

How blessed I feel to have the ocean so close by. It took about 40 minutes to get to the entrance of Fort Amherst on the south shore of The Narrows in St. John’s harbour. Of course there were a few photo stops.

The fort is still closed, but we sat on the cliffside next to some houses to gaze at the open sea through The Narrows before braving the cold headwinds on the much slower way back.

Enjoy this change of scenery through my eyes!

P.S. At the time of publishing, I’ll be on a mini solo writing & walking retreat at an ocean-side airbnb on the Irish Loop. I may not be in Ireland as planned, but I’m definitely making the best of it. How about you? Please continue taking care of yourself in body, mind & spirit. Big virtual hug.  Dominique