In this watercolor painting, I portrayed Oshun, a revered orisha in the Yoruba religion of West Africa and also in the Americas. She’s the goddess of love, fertility, beauty and sweet waters. According to Yoruba myth, Olodumare, the supreme god, sent Oshun together with a group of male Orishas to earth to create the earth. The male deities excluded her and they tried to create the world without her. They failed, since the land remained barren without her sweet waters, nurturing energy and love. Animals nor plants could survive. The male Orishas came to see their mistake, went to Oshun and begged for her help. She agreed and brought her life-giving sweet waters to the earth, after which nature and humanity could finally blossom.

Oshun’s colors are gold and yellow, so I depicted her wearing a yellow dress and a golden hair ring, holding her hair together. I also painted her nails gold and showed her holding a yellow rose in her hand. Yellow flowers, including yellow roses are often offered to her. The rose is also a symbol of love, which she rules over.

Behind her, you see a lake and waterfalls, representing the sweet waters she brought to the earth. The greenery that grows on the cliffs is symbolic for the life that started growing because of her, which the male gods couldn’t accomplish without her. She’s also seen as the younger sister of goddess Yemaya.

I loved first drawing this piece and then painting her with aquarelle. I put a lot of care and patience into painting all of her curls, the tiny hairs in her eyebrows, her lashes and all the details in the rose petals and leaves. I enjoyed creating all the lights and shadows in her skin and eyes to bring her to life.