NEW WORK: Hauling up the Serpent

This painting references a tale from Norse mythology. As the story goes, the god of thunder Thor was on a fishing trip with a conniving giant named Hymir. Upon rowing out further than the giant normally ventured, their ship entered the realm of the dreaded World Serpent, Jörmungandr. Thor dropped a line into the cold ocean with the head of an ox on the hook. The great serpent bit down on the hook and the sea became tossed with its writhing. Thor hauled the line in slowly and prepared to deal Jörmungandr a deadly blow, but Hymir cut the line at the last moment, releasing the great monster and allowing it to return and plague the gods at the end of time.

Hauling up the Serpent, latex paint on canvas, 36 x 72, 2022

The result is a piece featuring the action of pulling something from below, hauling a great weight upward with immense strength.