VENUS BOY
VENUS BOY is a mixed media piece rooted in my personal astrology, with a Libra sun and Taurus moon, both ruled by Venus. It reimagines The Creation of Adam, drawing on Michelangelo’s iconic composition to explore the tension between flesh and spirit, the quiet, constant pull between desire and discipline.
At its center, Venus looms in the background as both witness and force, embodying love, passion, beauty, and material longing. She is not simply present, but active, shaping the emotional and spiritual weight of the piece.
The cherub appears as a subtle nod to Cupid, symbolizing desire and divine connection. At the same time, the distant moon reflects his nature as a lover, steady, evolving, and deeply rooted in feeling.
The work functions as a self-portrait, in essence, an exploration of duality, devotion, and the ongoing transformation of self through love, temptation, and awareness.
In reflecting deeper upon this piece, I see the women in my life as ravens and doves. The ravens guide me through the depths of intense emotion, those unseen layers that, as an artist, I feel so profoundly. From that intensity, the doves emerge, teaching me to pause, reflect, and find light in the shadows. It’s an alchemy of creation: transforming what’s hidden beneath the surface into light, knowing that darkness isn’t negative. It’s simply what hasn’t yet been illuminated.
In Greek mythology, Psyche is a mortal woman whose beauty draws the attention of Aphrodite, who becomes jealous and sends her son Eros to curse her. Instead, he falls in love with her. He keeps himself hidden and only comes to her at night, asking her to trust him without ever seeing his face.
Eventually, doubt creeps in. Psyche gives in to it and looks at him while he sleeps, breaking that trust. Eros leaves her.
To find him again, Psyche is forced to go through a series of nearly impossible trials, each one testing how far she’s willing to go for love. She endures all of it, and in the end, she’s reunited with him and made immortal.
I took that story and gave it a Western spin.