Linda Levy  has challenged me to show one piece of my art per day for ten days. For my second presentation, I’m showing another retablo that has sold during my show which is still up at Jesus Lopez Vega’s Studio Gallery, #1 Rio Zula on Ocampo. There’s still time to see the rest of the show!

Jaina Woman II, The Harvest

Representations of Maya women occur more commonly as Jaina figurines than in any other medium. These Jaina figures represent two kinds of women, both archetypes of female behavior. One is a stately, courtly woman who is sometimes shown weaving; the second is a courtesan who appears with all sorts of mates, from Underworld deities to oversized rabbits. The imagery of both derives from Maya concepts of the moon, perceived as an erratic, inconsistent heavenly body, whose constantly changing character follows the monthly cycle of female menses. This is a Jaina woman of the first category: stately and courtly. I have presented her as representative of the harvest, which also produces the seeds for the next year’s bounty.