My initial idea for my final project was a working progress; I started with a vague plan of focusing my project on the ocean- considering several different directions I could take it in. I was undecided on it being a focus on the areas of sealife and environments that marine biologists and researchers have discovered; environmental issues such as plastic pollution, whale and dolphin hunting and bycatch. Or focusing on a fantastical perspective of the ocean, on the daunting areas that haven’t been tapped by humanity yet. The sea is a very mysterious place that we know nothing about, only 20% has been discovered, so I thought it would be interesting to explore the fantastical side of what could be lurking under- create fictional sea creatures etc. I developed this idea into focusing on maritime folklore.
My project is centred on the history of Sailors’ superstitions and maritime folklore.
Sirens
Sirens, in Greek Mythology, are a hybrid creature of half bird and half woman; they were seductive creatures who lured sailors in by the irresistible charm of their song. However the mermaid form (part fish) became the visual depiction of Sirens during the medieval period. The first literary description of Siren as a mermaid was in the Anglo- Latin Catalogue (8th Century AD): “sea-girls with the body of a maiden, but have scaly fishes’ tails.”
Hybrid human-like creatures such as sirens and mermaids have pervaded maritime folklore throughout history.
https://www.qaronline.org/blog/2020-07-20/mermaids-and-sirens
The history of Siren mythology is what piqued my interest in the research stage of the project. Especially the visuals of the Siren and how they have developed and consistently changed- from half bird to mermaid; a seductive, beautiful creature in some stories, or a horrific monster in others. I compiled many images, created mood boards and made my own sketches from the visual research I did.
My idea
My idea for my final product was to be a painting inspired by nautical themes and maritime folklore imagery; I then developed this idea to make the research I had done relevant. In addition to the painting I wanted to make a mini book of famous sea tales with relevant illustrations. I compiled research from articles and books, then made sheets of sketches that related to the stories I had gathered.
Below are links to the sources I used
https://www.qaronline.org/blog/2020-07-20/mermaids-and-sirens
https://tropedia.fandom.com/wiki/Nautical_Folklore
As the project progressed and I started to create the mini book, I decided halfway through I didn’t like the idea and didn’t want to continue with it, and dedicate my time to process sketches for the final painting. I will still include photos of the unfinished product though.
Through my visual research, I realised the most prominent symbols in nautical folklore are a pirate ship, or any ship in general; mermaids/ sirens, stormy seas and sea monsters- most notably, the Kraken. So I decided to use these visuals to develop sketches for my final painting.
These were my process sketches for the final piece.
This is a very rough outline of the final arrangement.
