GARUDA by Amy Hannum

Price: $600    Buy It!

Garuda is a god best known as the King of Birds, the enemy of the Serpent and the vehicle of Vishnu. Often represented by an eagle, he is a zoomorphic entity that shifts between human and bird forms in varying measure. He is a swift traveler, going wherever he likes in an instant, and often carrying Vishnu on a path of destruction. He is known throughout India, Indonesia, Thailand and is even represented as an eagle on the Indonesian coat of arms. Garuda is also known as Karura in Japan. When Ramon gave me his 3D printed sculpture of Garuda and asked me to intervene, I was enthralled yet had no idea what to do with it. It was only after researching the god for a week or so that the image came together for me. The squareness and computer printed origin of the piece made me want to morph the statue into something that was both more futuristic and organic simultaneously, further highlighting the endless nature of gods. Even though Garuda is seen more as an eagle-like god, I wanted to make the figure more tropical and bring in the jungle atmosphere of Indonesia. This is where the macaw feathers came into play. The fallen feathers from my brother’s blue and gold macaw, Lucy, were perfect for giving that tropical feeling while the cast encaustic jet pack holding the feathers makes the piece more futuristic. The figure was painted gold to accent his status as a god and patinated in blues and reds as if the original paint had worn away after centuries of battle. The cast encaustic crown finished off the piece perfectly and my little Garuda was ready to take flight!