22 x 19 inches, 190lb watercolor paper, watercolor and gouache.
I had 2 monkeys, (my grandchildren Sean and E), bouncing all over my studio for the last two days. I put the Odin painting up and spent my time engaging with the human kind rather than with the lofty thoughts of the Gods. Last night I was able to sit quietly and work on Mr. Wednesday's face, hands and clothes. Hopefully I'll finish Mr, Wednesday today and the background tomorrow. My grandchildren have left for vacation with their parent and the house will be quiet for the next 4 days.
Odin's Quest after the Runes
Hávamál
The Words of Odin the High One
from the Elder or Poetic Edda
(Sæmund's Edda)
translated by Olive Bray
and edited by
D. L. Ashliman
137.
I trow I hung on that windy Tree
nine whole days and nights,
stabbed with a spear, offered to Odin,
myself to mine own self given,
high on that Tree of which none hath heard
from what roots it rises to heaven.
138.
None refreshed me ever with food or drink,
I peered right down in the deep;
crying aloud I lifted the Runes
then back I fell from thence.
139.
Nine mighty songs I learned from the great
son of Bale-thorn, Bestla's sire;
I drank a measure of the wondrous Mead,
with the Soulstirrer's drops I was showered.
140.
Ere long I bare fruit, and throve full well,
I grew and waxed in wisdom;
word following word, I found me words,
deed following deed, I wrought deeds.
141.
Hidden Runes shalt thou seek and interpreted signs,
many symbols of might and power,
by the great Singer painted, by the high Powers fashioned,
graved by the Utterer of gods.
142.
For gods graved Odin, for elves graved Daïn,
Dvalin the Dallier for dwarfs,
All-wise for Jötuns, and I, of myself,
graved some for the sons of men.
143.
Dost know how to write, dost know how to read,
dost know how to paint, dost know how to prove,
dost know how to ask, dost know how to offer,
dost know how to send, dost know how to spend?
144.
Better ask for too little than offer too much,
like the gift should be the boon;
better not to send than to overspend.
........
Thus Odin graved ere the world began;
Then he rose from the deep, and came again.
Sketch and Story
I started with an eye!
Second Layer
A link to My Blog
Simply amazing, what a grand talent you have :)
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Wow..it is amazing...
I'm really like watercolor paints..
Wel done my dear friend @reddust
Superb work and I always apprecuate your posts...
Cheers!...
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Hi @reddust.
Thanks for sharing "American God"
Cheers!
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a wonderfull post on amaircan god @reddust sis...ur work is in steemit comunity is good keep it up always and get more succes in ur life @reddust
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Thank you sister @shencoin
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Very good art i can see.
I can see your hardwork to make it.
Really Awesome work. @reddust
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That was really good to read and see your work
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Thank you @starving.
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a good post on about it series @reddust mam ur work always for appriciate
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Thank you @robrowe, I appreciate that.
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The face and the ravens are spot on! Looking awesome ^^
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Hopefully I can get the background to sync up with the foreground, I'm confident I can, thank you @kristyglas.
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Very detailed, never seen American gods but i know that man from John Wick- The Intercontinental Hotel Manager.....
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this is so good work by you :) i am loving the progress
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It's very good work @reddust!
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That hand there, is a good hand to try to paint (last picture)
Lots of detail, lots of character, and lots of bright spots and dark spots.
So that if come even close, it will look like a good hand.
I would add it to a collection of pictures to practice drawing from.
Mr. Wednesday is coming along excellently.
With extra little helping hands it is difficult to paint, unless you are painting for kids. Because they like to help. And who could say know to the wee little ones?
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190Lb woooooow it's heavy the art is weight, as always good post and good words
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190lb is the thickness of the paper, I do not know why they judge paper this way. I like the ancient poetry!
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Ah i understood wrongly, sorry red
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I like the painting, only watched the first three episodes of the series. I think it's entertaining albeit in a weird way. Thanks for sharing :)
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I love the weirden ways ;-)
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This is getting to the finest :) great work.
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The details are becoming more subtle😆😁
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@reddust simply awesome post i appreciate your work and effort you put into this and wish for your success in future.
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Thank you @adnanrabbani, the struggle is the bliss and the pain when painting.
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Its coming along very nicely @reddust. Looking forward to seeing it completed. Hope life is treating you well my friend!
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I'm looking forward to finishing this piece, but in a way I'm not, I like thinking and reading about Odin and the Northen gods of the olden days. My genetics are from the North, the cold and struggle to stay alive, the harsh reality of the struggle in lands that give very little regarding warmth, plants and grain are ground into my genetic memories. Reading this poetry is waking up long forgetting memories of my ancestors.
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The poetry lost me a little bit I'm afraid.:( I thought it best not to comment on it for fear of making myself look silly ;) I would much rather a struggle for survival in regards to working the land and building shelter than paying the electric bill or having enough money at the local supermarket. I think in many senses our ancestors had it far better than us because they had a greater appreciation for life and the natural world than we do ourselves today. At least survival in the wild can be regarded as an honest and worthwhile struggle. :)
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If you read the links and where Odin lived, his adventures and ally's you'll understand his poetry. Much is symbolic and I've studied symbolism a bit to incorporate into my paintings. The missing eye speaks of seeing with insight, the middle eye...he sacrificed his eye to the well of wisdom. He cut his own eye out and threw the eye in the well and was offered a drink by the guardian of the well. Hanging from the tree reminds me of Jesus hanging on the cross, sacrificing himself to himself! Incredibly old teaching stories that touch many of the old religions including Christianity and also shamanic traditions dealing with blood, death, sacrifice, traveling beyond the body to bring back wisdom and knowledge to help your tribe.
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Acts chapter 5 verse 30 of most translations of the bible actually refers to hanging Jesus on a tree.
I'm not a biblical scholar at all, just something I came across when looking into other things. :)
I'm not a spiritual person in terms of my every day practices but AI am a big believer in a spiritual element of the human condition in some form or fashion and would love to experience ayahuasca at some point in my life to see for myself if there is something more than what we can see, feel and touch physically.
I wasn't aware of you using symbolism in your work so I will have to look a little deeper from now on and try to work out exactly what you're trying to say. :)
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I know there is energy that we can't sense, our senses are limited to the point we are blind to most energy in the universe. That makes me kind of paranoid, there could be a sentient being standing next time me on a different kind of energy wave length my senses can't sense and I wouldn't know....
All art in the past was highly symbolic, I think we have symbolism hardwired into our dna through epigenetics. Even if you don't know, deep down you do know...
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I am open to these possibilities as I am with ghosts and other such things but having never seen direct evidence of them myself I have to remain skeptical. I did see some videos on youtube regarding the Santilli telescope and the claim that it had caught images of some kind of invisible entities but I am not sure how much stock to put in these claims either.
I am aware of symbolism in historical art works such as The Last Supper by Da Vinci and also the rampant use or misuse of symbolism in modern popular culture. Movies such as Avatar and The Matrix are two obvious examples where symbolism is used throughout the narrative and in my own personal opinion, these movies give us a small glimpse into the reality of the world in which we find ourselves living, although most of us don't realise it.
I strongly believe that there is in fact a spiritual element to our lives that we have either forgotten or have been forced to forget although I have to admit that belief is not knowledge. But as you say, even if you don't know, deep down you do know. I do feel some sort of connection to source. Perhaps I need to open up my own third eye. :)
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Looks fantastic, really awesome work here! Now I wan to watch the series, this guy looks like an interesting character:)
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Ian the actor has been making movies since the 50s or 60s, he is classically trained and has aged very well indeed. American Gods fits in with my favorite series, John From Cincinnati, Carnival, Deadwood, Man In The The High Castle, and Preacher (my husband's favorite).
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That's it, I definitely should watch it:)
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A really good watercolour, I love the sky behind Odin.
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The sky needs another day's worth of work, I love the colors, they complement the colors of Mr. Wednesday's coat. Odin was the protector of kings, so I thought gold and purple would be perfect colors for this painting.
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I wouldn't be shy to just let it be like it is, but am also curious as to what it will become.
Odin was indeed an aristocratic God full of magic and mystery. It seems that most plain people felt more secure in the worship of Thor.
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Magic, war, blood, art, the unknown within oneself and poetry are not for the faint of heart😁
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I love american gods, started watching it again because of your first post where you mentioned it :)
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good contribution
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Thank you @evelyn88
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I am Groot! :D
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I knew i knew who that guy was, Ian Mcshane! I used to watch an old british tv show when i was a kid called "lovejoy" but he's done a lot. I really liked his role in in the film "sexy beast". Good old british gangster film. Great work!
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Great work as always @reddust!
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