Daughter of the Nile

11"x17"

acrylic wash & Berol Prismacolor Pencils on illustration board

 "The people of ancient Egypt hold a mysterious fascination for me. Their culture was an enigma to us for so long until the discovery of the Rosetta Stone and the much later deciphering of it. Through the ability to translate the hieroglyphics, we have learned much about their culture, there is a even a modern revival of the ancient Egyptian religion. There is still much debate about other subjects like the age of the Sphinx and the climate of Egypt when it was built. Some people theorize that the Pyramids were never tombs, as we have previously believed, leaving us wondering even more. 

The Daughter of the Nile is also a mystery. Her eyes are lowered leaving us little insight into her nature. She is the feminine spirit Egypt, her thin garb and plaited hair swirl around her in the dry desert air. She could be a mere woman, priestess, or a Goddess (is there really a difference?!) She owes her existence to the great Nile, the river from where all life in Egypt flowed. She is illuminated from the side, only partially in the shadow, revealing some secrets while keeping others safely guarded. Consider this, The Pharaohs believed that by the practice of mummification and the magic writing of their priests on tomb walls they would achieve immortality. Through these things, as discovered through modern archeology, they have."