Io the Tormented, Original oil painting

Original oil painting by Sarah Soward.
Oil on panel.
10x10 inches, unframed.

The paint on this one is thick and deeply textured in places. The rhinoceros featured in this is a member of the Sumatran rhino species. They are the most unique-looking all rhino species. Their two horns are generally short and small; their prehensile upper lip is pronounced; and they are sometimes so hairy that they look furry.

Io the Tormented is part of my Rhino Moons series. It's a subset of paintings that belong to my larger series, Wandering Stars, that focuses on portraying cosmic bodies and the entities they are named after in the guise of wildlife.

This story is complicated. The short version is that Jupiter can't control himself. His desires negatively impacted the relationship between his wife, Juno, and Io. Jupiter transformed Io into a white cow to hide her. Juno wasn't fooled. Instead of punishing her husband, she cursed Io to an eternity of torment from a gadfly.

The perk here is in Io's persistence and unwillingness to give up. Eventually, Io was freed from her gadfly curse and lived out the rest of her days in peace and happiness. She made it through all the noise and suffering to something better.

This painting is my reminder to keep going.

I'm not sure that was the short version of the story after all. I tried.

This painting is a combination of genres, and that's okay. Honestly, combining art genres is part of my style as an artist. I do what the message demands. Surrealism meets Abstract Expressionism in the form of Contemporary Wildlife Art. Woo!

Please keep fine art and prints out of direct sunlight and UV light.