My Winter Holiday Dancer

[browngirl]

Holiday Dancer v 1 My favorite of the holiday cards I drew myself. Note her Eastern pose and Western colors and symbols.

As I said above, this drawing is, at least from within my little head, an East and West fusion. I drew it after reading a lot about Indian and Chinese art, and took the pose from dancing Indian deities. But the dancer is definetely meant to be European and her circle is a holly garland.

I don't know if anyone else saw that, but that's what I put in it, and I wanted to write an entry about it.

Comments

[kshandra]

Speaking of your holiday cards, I got mine in the mail this week - thank you! (I was intending to get my cards FINALLY done today, but failed my saving throw vs. inertia.)

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

Hey, you mailed your cards before February, that's what matters.

And you're very welcome. :) *hugs you warmly*

[kshandra]

...except I haven't.... *sheepish grin*

[hanseth.livejournal.com]

Yes -- love your card this year! I adore St. Lucia with dark skin. It makes me so happy.

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

When my friend drew her for me I was *ecstatic*. I love this card. I'll be sending it for many years to come.

[peteralway.livejournal.com]

I hadn't made the connections you had intended, though I did sense something "exotic" in the pose. I sort of thought it fit with your minoan interest somehow.

It's good to see it blown up big enough to see the holly leaves and berries in the border. I confess that in the moments after reading that it was your holiday icon, but before the larger image opened behind the cut tag, my eyes parsed the border as a string of outdoor christmas lights. Oops!

I see it differently now.

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

I hadn't made the connections you had intended, though I did sense something "exotic" in the pose. I sort of thought it fit with your minoan interest somehow.

*grin* When in doubt, guessing Minoans is pretty reasonable with me. :)

*laugh* Now I want to draw a girl dancing with a string of lights, but the image I'm coming up with is very different. :D

[peteralway.livejournal.com]

Your card arrived yesterday. Thank you.

Now I can imagine either a perfectly innocent little girl skipping rope with a string of lights, or a not so innocent big girl wielding a string of lights like a feather boa.

[cellio]

She struck me as Indian-posed (while obviously not Indian) when I first saw her, but I didn't make all the connections you put there. Thanks for explaining!

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

*beam* I'm really glad you told me you saw that. And this post was a lot of fun to write; I'm a little relieved it was this much fun to read or I would've felt awfully indulgent. :D

[aprilkat.livejournal.com]

I've loved this, but appreciate her even more now!

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

*beam* Thank you, brighteyes. :)

[pagawne.livejournal.com]

I have seen that particular pose in Indian dancing and in Native American dancing, and some wall drawings in the Mediterranean. (No, I don't read history for fun or anything like that.)

I simply took it as as lovely young woman dancing. The holly leaves are more than a bit Celtic
(another hobby horse of mine). I love the picture, and think it is really quite lovely.

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

Hooray for reading history for fun!

I've been thinking for years now about cards that combine disparate symbols in harmony, that reach out to all my different friends with their different beliefs; all my current cards, be they this dancer, "Happy Everything", or "Santa Lucia", came out of that impulse.

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

This has always been one of my favorite drawings of yours.

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

*beam* Thank you, sweetie.

I love it for its context, too, drawing it on that Thanksgiving we spent with your Mom. The one where I woefully undercooked the turkey. :D

[awfief.livejournal.com]

purty!

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

*beam* Thanks. :)

[fitfool.livejournal.com]

My weak art background missed all those associations so I'm glad you posted an entry about it.

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

*laugh* I don't so much have an art background as a pile of assorted reading which I occasionally rummage.