OURANOS
By Cathy Novak

Copyright 2004-2005 Catherine Novak
All rights reserved.

The image of Ouranos (Uranus) depicts the brilliant and inspiring Sky Father hovering over the Earth, over his wife Gaia. Ouranos fathered the Titans, and included among his famous offspring was Cronus (Saturn) who in turn was the father of Zeus (Jupiter), foremost of the Olympian Gods. It would seem that Zeus inherited his penchant for throwing lightning bolts from his grandfather.

Ouranos is also the Greek word for "heaven," which we find throughout the New Testament.

This iconographic image of Ouranos is painted in egg tempera on a 10" round Maple panel. The panel was coated with several layers of home-made gesso, sanded between coats, then polished to semi-gloss before painting. The outer frame design was built up with additional gesso paste extruded from a metal-tipped tube very much like a miniature cake-decorating cone, with textures incised from dried gesso by using carving tools. The frame was then undercoated with a brick-red color and, finally, gilt.

The pigments are sometimes derived from semi-precious stones, such as Lapis Lazuli, which were used extensively in the Heavens surrounding Ouranos. Lapis powder is precious, but too beautiful to be refused when it "asks" to be used for certain projects. The sienna, ochre, and umber earth colors are mined from all over the world, and are available in a rainbow of soft and rich shades. Because metallic, gem, and stone-derived pigments can be poisonous, containing lead, mercury or arsenic, special care must be taken in their handling.

Egg tempera technique is time consuming but rewarding, as it affords both intimacy and control regarding materials and subject. Making my own paint, media, and gessos, plus preparing a painting substrate from scratch rather than relying on store-bought materials gives me a level of deep and total involvement that makes each work a true labor of love.

Blessings,
Cathy Novak
Animaitrix at AOL dot com