Woman in the Water
by Teresamarie Yawn
Acrylic on Birch Wood
A young Celtic girl left the safety of her home and slipped
into the night. She walked the long path to a great oak tree overhanging a
stream. The moon is full and rising towards its zenith, casting a glow across
the land and causing the leaves of the tree to shine. The girl's hair is blond
and set in two braids. She kneels in the grass in front of the tree, her hands
on her thighs, and she stares into the fast-moving stream. At first, she sees
her reflection, but then, the shimmering water shifts and a new face appears.
The girl is astonished--her eyes go wide, her mouth forms an "oh",
and her muscles tighten. The face in the water is a beautiful yet frightening
woman, with long black hair flowing with the stream. The woman in the water appears
ageless, as if she has lived for an eternity; she seems capable of great
violence but also of great love; of destruction and creation; of peace and war.
Of life, and death. The girl recognizes that the woman in the water was the one
who had called her from sleep and caused her to leave her village, visible in
the background, to come to this sacred stream. Overhead, the moon burns bright
but cannot extinguish the surrounding darkness that rules the night. The girl
feels her heart beating. She remains quiet, tense, and waits for the woman in
the water to speak.
You can purchase a print of this artwork at FineArtAmerica.