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Mary Tafoya - Medusa
Category. Sculpture.
Hand mirror
Trapunto quilting, single needle appliqué, tubular peyote stitch, brick stitch, and simple netting. Mounted on a custom-made oak mirror.
The historical Medusa was probably a Libyan queen defeated in battle by the Greeks, and the gorgon image derives from earlier warding masks worn by priestesses and carved into temple doorways around the Mediterranean. Her bovine tusks reveal her roots in pre-Greek goddess cults, as do the upraised snakes in her hair, which also symbolize her unbridled psychic energy. Her frightening countenance once warned the uninitiated to Stay back! According to some historians, the gorgon was an aspect of the goddess, not a distinct entity until Greco-Roman times.
In the Greek myth, Medusa was a perfectly lovely woman turned into a gorgon by the jealous and outraged Athena, after she was defiled by Poseidon in Athena's temple. (Interpretations of what transpired in the temple do vary, but considering Poseidon's reputation, I'm betting on his bad intentions.) Banished to a desolate island cave with the other two gorgons, one look from her was so terrifying that other mortals would turn to stone. Polydectes, who was courting Perseus' mother Danae, suggested that Perseus bring back Medusa'a head as a gift, secretly hoping the youth would perish on the quest. Hermes, however, came to Perseus' aid by loaning him his magic cap and sandals, and a special sack for the gorgon's head. Athena herself lent him her gleaming shield. Through trickery, Perseus learned the location of the gorgon' cave and, finding his way by watching the sleeping Medusa's reflection in the shield, he crept into the cave and hacked off her head. Eventually, he presented it to Athena (the patron goddess of Athens), who hung it on her shield from that day on, where it inspired soldiers to brave deeds in battle, and served once again as an image of fierce protection.
I was raised in Kentucky but now live in New Mexico, where I received a B.A. in Fine Arts from the University of New Mexico. I am a member of the New Mexico Bead Society and a regular contributor to Beadwork magazine. I conduct seminars on color theory for beadworkers, and teach occasionally at Poppy Field Bead Co. in Albuquerque.
Selected exhibitions include Beadwork I: Up Close, Loveland, Colorado (1998); "Don't Myth It," Embellishment, Portland, Oregon (1999); and "Fantastic Beads" at the Yeiser Art Center, Paducah, Kentucky (2000). Selected awards include Most Artistic Use of Beads, Albuquerque Fiber Arts Fiesta (1999); Finalist, Second International Miyuki Delica Challenge, Portland, Maine (1999); and Third Prize in "Finished Jewelry, Gleaming Treasures," Embellishment, Portland, Oregon (2000). I beaded sample pieces for Beadtime Stories by Annie Scarborough (1998); Out on a Loom by Margie Deeb (1999) and Charlene Hughes' forthcoming book of beading patterns, Beadin' with BeadyBoop, Vol. II.
Aunt Molly's Bead Street
http://www.flash.net/~mjtafoya/home.htm
A cyber resource for beadworkers featuring free patterns, a classroom of projects, a gallery of Mary's beadwork, and more. Online since 1997.