Hera, Protectress of Women

Hera, Protectress of Women

Repainted the blue background because the color was very uneven. Took advantage of that to remove some of the hair. Then spent most of the session refining the lily area.

Hera, Protectress of Women

Good brushes really do make a difference. For the past few years I have been using brushes I pick up at Michael's Craft Store. Mostly, I do this out of laziness; any decent art store is an hour away. Finally, I broke down and ordered brushes from Daniel Smith. Boy! I suddenly remembered how great a nice brush is. Any of you who try to cut an edge in a room with a cheap brush will understand this.
I'm working on the hair. I think there is still a bit too much around the top right of the head.

Hera, Protectress of Women

I've removed the golden halo, which I thought could act as a type of crown. I will add a gauze head cover and band. I'm procrastinating about the hair. I'm on the verge of making this too busy (or not busy enough). I'm afraid I've also lost the Art Nouveau motif.

Hera, Protectress of Women

Tomorrow I am going to remove the gold halo. Not sure how I will resolve that space. I may add a cloth head band and a head veil.

Hera, Protectress of Women

Bit of glare. Not to dispair. No need to repair. Must work on the hair.

Hera, Protectress of Women

The third symbol for Hera is the pomegranate which she shares with Persephone. She is often depicted holding the pomegranate but there is no reference in her myths to its significant. Ripening late in the year, the leathery-skinned pomegranate, so full of juicy seeds, is a marvelous image for a woman in her late years, her crone years. The deep red juice of this fruit was often likened to blood and in some areas of Greece, was designated as food for the dead, heightening this connection to her crone phase.Hera is the goddess of marriage, women, and birth, and the pomegranate is a symbol of marriage, marital love, and fruitfulness.
Hera's crown is either a diadem - a cloth headband signifying royalty; or a polos - a representation of the starry vault of heaven. I have put a white fleur-de-lis, but may change to or add stars since Hera is credited with forming the milky way from her breast milk.