Ixchel is the Mayan goddess of midwifery, fertility, and medicine. The ancient Maya were a highly advanced civilization, particularly in their understanding of the solar system and mathematics. I've always wanted to sculpt a Mesoamerican deity but found the depictions, most of which are based on Spanish codices, very difficult to interpret visually. After some research, I chose Ixchel to sculpt as her iconography is fairly consistent: snake atop her head, sometimes pouring water, and sometimes depicted as a young or old woman. As an added homage to this beautiful Mayan goddess, I based her facial features on stock images of actual women from the Yucatan peninsula (the hub of the ancient Mayan civilization). Incidentally, I later learned through an Instagram colleague that one of the sculptures that I had used as reference is located in Isla Mujeres (The Island of Women) in Mexico. There is even a temple dedicated to her there (Templo De La Diosa Ixchel) which I hope to visit someday. My thanks again to the Ceramic Art Studio and Shop.

Wet clay model (greenware)