WATERBABY'S CIRCUS

I painted this watercolor a few years ago. If I remember right, the original size is 18"x24". The painting was copied professionally, even so, the camera does not pick up the iridescent paints I used on her crown and mirror and tail. Iemanja' the goddess (or orixa') of salt water, was brought to the so-called New World via the slave trade, and is often addressed in the Yoruba language of west Africa. The next time you go to the beach and put your feet in the water, you can greet her with her customary greeting if you like: Odoia'!

Tomorrow is the day I catch the plane and fly away. I will go to Brazil where I will spend three months in Salvador, Bahia. I'll be arriving just in time for one of the largest celebrations there, the Festa de Iemanja. This goddess is known in Africa, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and other countries, and by various names. She is the Goddess of the Sea, and well-loved in the port city of Salvador. Her image is seen all over, as a sign of devotion, or decoration, even in advertising. I'll be looking for and collecting more images. I'll try to paint a bit while I'm there, but the ocean is close by, and distractions are rampant. So we'll see . . . .