The Egyptian goddess Bastet in a modern style on canvas

The goddess Bastet is associated with cats and, like cats themselves, stands for grace, protection and fertility. In ancient Egypt, cats were not only sacred, but were also seen as protectors of the home - not only because they kept the house 'clean' by hunting mice, but also because they were seen to protect the home energetically from harm. Any cat fan will know the special energy cats add to our homes.

In this painting, I have depicted Bastet as half a cat, as a symbol of her "merging" with the feline beings. In this way, the characteristics of the cat merge into her.

The painting is part of my Mythology seriesin which I paint figures from ancient legends and myths in a modern setting. I do this deliberately because I want to remind you that there are superpowers in all of us and that the heroes, gods etc. are only a symbol of this. The old legends still live on - even in you! But we can interpret them in a modern way.

In this painting I have integrated an ancient symbol (the Ankh) together with the spray paints into the painting as if someone could have painted it on a wall in modern times. This combines the ancient symbols and images with our modern world

This painting is done in many layers with acrylics ans oils.

You can see the development process here: