Dido Aflame (19H x 12D x 6"W)

This work depicts Dido from Virgil's classical epic The Aeneid. In it, the exiled hero Aeneas finds passionate love with the queen of Carthage, Dido, after the fall of Troy. However, he ultimately remembers his duty to found a new home for the Trojans and abandons her, sailing away with his people in the middle of the night. The enraged Dido stabs herself and her body is burned on a funeral pyre. While remaining anatomically accurate, my piece bends Dido into the shape of a flame, depicting Dido's burning passion for Aeneas as well as her flaming rage and her literal burning on the funeral bier. She howls her pain and is physically contorted, which reflects the self-destructive nature of anger turned inward. I plan to choose a patina in the burgundy, gold, and copper/rust family to represent the burning, flaming nature of the work.

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Love is a Wave (24W x 18H x 2"D)

Love is a Wave is a relief sculpture that is meant to be hung on a wall; it depicts first love washing over a young couple with the force of a wave. Those who see the pair remark on their look of youthful innocence. The young man is brought to his knees in awe of his love, while the young woman rides the wave of affection and gives him a stunning first kiss. This will be a richly coloured piece with shades of blue and white foam caps to capture the essence of water.

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Pythia (11H x 15W x 12" D)

This sculpture depicts Pythia, also known as the Sibyl, oracle of Delphi. The oracle is most widely known as the prophetess of Apollo in Greek and Roman history, but her shrine was first dedicated to the power of the Earth represented by a snake (hence the name "Pythia" as in "python"). The Pythia is described as living in the depths of a cave (which has been found by archaeologists), where she would be visited by people seeking to know the future. She would then enter a trance-like state and deliver a divine prophecy through the intermediary of a snake. Here, she is shown in her cave listening to the whispered words of the snake and staring off in a trance. She covers her ears and is folded in a near-fetal position in an attempt to shut out the divine voice that continue to overwhelm her senses. In this regard, she also reflects the artist who cannot escape her vision. I imagine this piece will be patinated in a coppery brown finish much like the photo grading to darker almost black areas moving toward the depth of her cave.

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The Serpent (22L x 11H x 8"W)

The Serpent is, of course, the tempting snake from the Genesis story, offering an apple to Adam and Eve, and to you, the viewer. Rabbinical tradition states that the biblical snake was jealous of human beings and so my serpent has curled himself, appropriately enough into a human face, for only human beings can lie. I plan to choose a contemporary beige, flesh-coloured patina for the snake (capturing its simulation of a human being) and a bright red for the apple.

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