Eve

This painting is one of a series that I am working on of fantasy portraits.

The original inspiration for the painting was a scene in a movie called 'From dusk till dawn' which if you have seen the movie might appear an unlikely inspiration. However there is one scene where a beautiful girl (Selma Hyek) appears semi naked, dancing with an albino python wrapped around her. What struck me was the fantastic colour combination of the snake against the girl's skin. It gave me the idea to portray Eve like that. It is a seduction.I wanted the image to be sexy, alluring and exotic, with lots of bright colours.

We all know the story of Adam, Eve and the serpent. How the story is understood is a matter of great debate. I am not about to go into the moral issues or the sexual politics of it, because it could easily turn into a thesis.

However I will say that in the painting I wanted to create some sexual undertones, there are a few playful little pointers, like the Venus Flytrap at the bottom of the painting, amongst others.

One of the crucial points for me is relation between Eve and the snake. I wanted to show a sense of curiosity, and sensuality at the same time.

The fruit above the snake's head represents the apple, which does not look like one's traditional idea of an apple, but who is to say that an apple from the tree of knowledge would look like your average Granny Smith.