627 Leland Avenue South Bend IN 46616 574-360-5386
Paintings, Kim Hoffmann
Frames, Bronislaus Janulis
Kim Hoffmann Pages
“Snake Sheela”
60 x 36 inches, oil on canvas
The woman in Irish culture, as in others, is linked with the land and
its rejuvenation and protection. Images such as the Síla-na-gCíoch
(Engl. Sheela-na-gig, transl. “Sheila of the breasts”) are found on
ancient places of worship and are believed to be used in puberty
ceremonies. The stone carvings typically portray a skeletal upper body
with the lower torso exhibiting exaggerated genitalia. The image, found
elsewhere in Europe and the Middle East, demonstrates a convergence of
opposites: birth/death, creation/destruction.
Kim Hoffmann
I’ve always referred to this painting as “The Space Sheela”, and that may have been what the design of this frame is about. Basswood, gesso, metal leaf, polychrome frame.
Bronislaus Janulis