Completed Creation: February 2004
Original 12"x16" 
Acrylic on Canvas

Lifegiver, first woman, mother.  These are all aspects of the mothers of the
Cherokee's.  Selu was the first woman in Cherokee history. 
She gave us life and I've tried to show this with the pregnant mother, the
water, the rain, as well as the earth. From all of these things we call Mother we receive life and revere.

The young lady who posed for me had a beautiful healthy glow about her and I have wanted to paint her for a few years.  I just didn't have the right idea until now and finally it hit me that, I've never painted my version of Selu!  I always try to put things in more of a historical context versus a
mythological one.  I want you to relate to her and I think this style helps the viewer do just that.