Foundling

“Foundling” is created with various bright inks on Hahnemule Hot Press 300gsm Water Colour paper. The inks are worked into with water sprays and brushes. Size is 21x29cm.

"The sun had not yet appeared when she saw the prince’s palace and went up the magnificent
marble staircase. The moon shone wonderfully clearly. The little mermaid downed the fiery, sharp
drink and it was as though a two-edged sword went right through her fine body, she fainted and lay
as if dead. When the sun was shining over the sea, she woke up and felt a searing pain, but right in
front of her the handsome young prince was standing, he fixed his jet-black eyes on her, so she
lowered hers and saw that her fish’s tail was gone and that she had the most attractive small white
legs any young girl could have, but she was completely naked, so she wrapped herself in her long
tresses. The prince asked who she was, and how she had come to be there, and she looked at him so
gently and so sorrowfully with her dark-blue eyes, for she could not speak, you see. Then he took
her by the hand and led her into the palace. Every step she took was, as the witch had said to her
earlier, as if she was treading on pointed needles and sharp knives, but she put up with this gladly;
with the prince’s hand holding hers she rose as light as a soap-bubble, and he and everyone else
marvelled at her elegant, floating walk." - an extract from the original and dark tale of the little mermaid, by Hans Christian Anderson

The piece was created as part of the Den Lille Harfrue Collection – the little mermaid. Created in lockdown to express my feelings about the restrictions, being unable to have social contact and also experiencing incredibly vivid and at some times quite scary dreams, a lot based underwater.
Not only did I draw on my own vivid dreams as inspiration for this piece, and this whole collection, I also looked at one of my favourite Fairy Tales as a Child- The Little Mermaid, by Hans Christian.
Mermaid Painting, Mother and Child, small painting, teal art, cyan green, underwater,