Coventina

I’ve been working on a piece of artwork for quite a long time and I am pleased to say that it is finally finished. As my fellow art friend, John, has said to me in the past, a piece of work can change direction every time you pick up the brushes and this particular piece has certainly taken me in different directions. This is how the piece became ‘Coventina’.

An experimental cast was taken using Art Roc bandage.  Rather than throw the cast away I thought it would make a great 3D style canvas. The cast was then sewn onto a decent sized canvas and the openings to the cast were filled in with filler. I then had to wait about a week to let the cast dry and settle before the next step.  Using filler again, I added the texture around the cast to give a sea wave effect. Once left to dry for a couple of days, a selection of spray paints were used to give an airbrushed effect. The cast itself was painted using a mixture of gold/bronze enamel and acrylic paints.  The sunshine skyline behind the wave was then created with a blend of orange and gold acrylic paint using a short firm brush stroke effect.  A retro-style bikini was then painted on the cast using the same technique and gems were added using a glue gun.  The cast was then sprayed with a protective coating to prevent any damage from sunlight and dust.

‘Coventina’ (pronounced Coh-ven-teen-ah) is a powerful Celtic goddess of the waters, including oceans. Wishing wells were made in her honour and today we continue the practice of throwing coins into water while making a wish. Coventina helps us purify our physical selves and reminds us that purification also means keeping our thoughts and speech filled with positive words, which empower and strengthen our bodies and lives. This particular Goddess has been a very important part of my life recently and this is why the artwork had to be perfect. I am very proud of this piece of work and although it has required lots of patience, I feel it to be one of my favourite pieces so far.

Fina x