Theme: Benzaiten

Today I come to you not with an artist, but with a theme, with mythological character from Japanese and Hindu traditions. 

"Benzaiten is the goddess of everything that flows: water, words, speech, eloquence, music and knowledge. She became one of the Seven Gods of Fortune. She is also a goddess of beauty, mothers wishing attractive daughters fasted and prayed for seven days at the temple of Benzaiten.
She is depicted as a beautiful woman with eight arms with two hands depicted in prayer and others holding; sword, bow and arrow, wheel, key, axe, spear, mandolin or biwa. She is also depicted as riding a golden dragon. She carries a jewel that can grant wishes. She is the ruler of love, music, arts, inspiration, talent, wealth and romance. As a sea and water goddess she is a purifying force that protects people from the darkness of the material world. She is also a protector from earthquakes.Her festival is at the summer solstice and many of her shrines (benten-do or benten-sha) are still standing. She is sometimes called daughter of the dragon king and originally of Hindu origin (Goddess Saraswati). Her husband was a wicked dragon who she transformed."

http://www.thewhitegoddess.co.uk/

by Nadja Turner

Toyohara Chikanobu

Holly Sierra

3. Sveta Dorosheva

Do you need color to create beautiful fairytale-like images? Sveta Dorosheva proves that not necessarily! Her meticulous illustration brings us the feeling of old-fashioned fairytales about medieval royals and beautiful fairies. Tarot and old figures might be her inspiration too. You can also find some art deco and art nouveau echoes. She likes to experiment with quirky calligraphy and mix sweet and scary elements. She is not much interested in modernity, her recent works refer to Slavic folklore. Dorosheva creates also vintage botanical and anatomic illustrations. 

2. Gemma Capdevila

Have you ever dreamt of being a mermaid? I did. Once, when I was a kid in love with Disney's Little Mermaid. The second time happend last month when I was reading a wonderful Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler.

Thanks to Gemma's Capdevila dreamy, fairytale illustration we can dive into the world where mermaids live, the ones that are in love with the stars in the sky.

We can also dig into the ground or go up the trees to see melancholic animals sleeping or thinking about... about what? Gemma's also paints stories of little towns - cosy, but also somehow melancholic, somehow autumnal, dreamy, nostalgic. She uses lots of blue and brown. There are constellations in the water and waves in the sky.

my favourite, so different from others...

1. Lola Beltrán

Lola Beltrán creates a gallery of strong women. Some of them don't give a damn, others cry. There are ones aware of their popular beauty and ones that still need to discover beauty in themselves. But I believe them all, do you? 

Lola Beltran is an illustrator and designer born in Spain, living in the UK. She is inspired by Old Hollywood, pop culture, comic books, retro posters.