Some months ago, browsing the internet, I saw a photograph of a beautiful woman holding an artichoke in her hand, which reminded me of the Aegean legend of Cinara, and I suddenly wanted to draw her.

According to the legend, the first artichoke was a lovely young girl who lived on the island of Zinari. The god, Zeus was visiting his brother Poseidon one day when, as he emerged from the sea, he spied a beautiful young mortal woman. She did not seem frightened by the presence of a god, and Zeus seized the opportunity to seduce her.  He was so pleased with the girl, whose name was Cynara, that he decided to make her a goddess so that she could be nearer to his home in Olympia. Cynara agreed with his proposal, and without hesitation gave her heart to him. However, Cynara soon missed her mother and grew homesick. She snuck back to the world of mortals for a brief visit.  After she returned, Zeus discovered this un-goddess-like behavior. Enraged, he hurled her back to earth and transformed her into the plant we know as the artichoke.

The French even have the expression "to have an artichoke's heart", meaning that someone falls in love quickly and easily, giving away pieces of one's heart as if they were artichoke leaves.

This way, I tried to depict a beautiful, young and sad woman connected with a bright artichoke, she is bound with it and interconnected in her universe.

I invite you to join me in this adventure of creating your own goddess.
I hope you enjoy it!