Goddess Soma

Graphite on Blue Paper

19.5 x 25.5 inches

Private Collection

This work is essentially a self portrait from within. I began with the shape of my lungs, heart, and diaphragm, and added a bright light above them.

The ground shows the things that support and sustain me: the people who love me. Here I'm sitting with my sisters Aly and Jessi in mermaid costumes like the ones our mother made for us when we were very little. We have our childhood toys with us and the fertile ground of imagination supports various kinds of plant life.

My heart became an alter covered with all kinds of things I've made over the years. You may notice that there are a number of women knitting in this drawing: they are tenderly focussing their attention and bodies on the process of creation, resulting in something warm, sustaining, and share-able.

The moon is a symbol of the mystery that governs all this creation, and the hands are making various mudras, showing that we have to learn to work with this mystery and work through the obstacles of doubt and fear.