The World Beneath
Acrylic on stretched canvas • 81 x 106cm
A sacred figure in Native American culture, they have long shared a legend of the world’s creation upon a giant sea turtle’s back. As the rays from the heavens above shine on the world beneath, fragments of the earth are revived from the depths of the ocean and placed upon the turtle’s back to create land. To the west faces the direction of the path of souls, said to unite ones’ body with Earth in the afterlife and repeat the cycle of life, death and renewal. Personifying longevity and good health, the turtle remains one of the oldest living beings to exist in the current day.
My goal with this piece was to somehow tie in fragments of the world upon a sea turtle's back. I wanted the fragments to be subtle yet obvious enough to be easily recognised by the shapes of the continents. I went through several iterations of the shell to try and get the shapes and colours right before I found something I was happy with. It took a bit of patience!
Like this piece? You can purchase the original here.
