When taking on the concept of Scorpio for the Constellation exhibit curated by Yvette Endrijautzki, I wanted to convey something more complex in my study than the traditional, straightforward scorpion image. As I considered the symbol of Scorpio, the ideas of fearlessness, determination and strength were the primary elements impressed upon me. I wanted to focus on the aspect of strength, so I incorporated the traditional image of the scorpion into that of an old fashioned circus strong man, replacing his arms with those of scorpion tails. It seemed a perfect fit, in a classic strong-man pose. As Scorpio is a water sign, I wanted to incorporate water elements into the image as well.I originally intended to have the elephants spraying fountains of water, but once they came into form, the trunk shape lent itself to more scorpion tails; a fun indulgence in studying the creature’s anatomy. The third eye (the eye of knowledge) on the elephants’ fez is meant to instill a sort of playful mysticism.
This piece of art showed for a month at True Love Gallery in Seattle, WA, and then for another couple months at Fulcrum Gallery in Tacoma, WA.