It’s the end of an era for me with the Birthstone Goddesses wrapping up! I thought it only proper to send the project off with a look back at how it evolved over the years I spent on it. This journey started as a simple set of 12 paintings for a calendar and ended up being so much more!
The Birthstone Goddesses
These paintings started it all! Lady of December was the original first entry into the series in 2014 as a gift to my mother inspired by Alphonse Mucha’s Precious Stones series. A couple of years later, the idea to continue with a series of similar paintings came to me.
The Birthstone Goddesses Masquerade
At the start of the series, I was also invested in leathercrafting as a hobby and wanted to explore the themes of flowers and birthstones via masks as well. Each one of these is a limited edition of 10 per mask, some adorned with crystals and all hand-tooled and painted. With the way the movement of Art Nouveau also extends beyond 2D art into jewelry, textiles, etc., I found masks to be a poetic addition to the Birthstone Goddesses’ growing ouevre. (There are still a few masks left in my Artisan shop for anyone seeking a unique cosplay or display piece.)
(The masks were photographed by the talented Winter Wolf Studios).
The Visage Collection
Over the course of creating the paintings, I also started thinking about the prospect of creating a book, which I thought would look lovely if I started each section with a thematic banner of each Goddess. And thus the Visage collection was born! Inspired by the gorgeous hand mirrors and cameo necklaaces from the Art Nouveau movement.
The Enamel Pin Designs
Once again, I was tempted to explore more wearable art forms by enamel pins, which I also thought would make a beautiful collectible item that would work with Goddess-themed gift sets. The form of these pins were inspired by the cameo jewelry of Art Nouveau. These designs were also used for stickers.
Ink & Gold Drawings
These drawings were created to promote the enamel pin designs as luxury tiers for the pins’ Kickstarters, stripping down the pin designs into elegant ink and gold.
Embellished Mats
I created these hand-drawn mats accented with gold leaf especially for display at cons. Several of them were sold before I had a chance to photograph them, as I created the full set of 12, one for each Lady.
The Little Gem Goddesses
During the coloring book’s Kickstarter, one of the stretch goals was the fun idea to do chibi versions of the Birthstone Goddesses. Luckily they were unlocked and thus the Little Gems were born! They’re a fun addition to this otherwise very serious series.
The Fashion Illustrations
Each Goddess’ painting was meticulously researched, planned, and rendered, including a fashion sketch on a croquis form to sort out the Goddess’ visual themes and dress. All of these originals are still available in my shop with the exception of Lady of January’s sketch.
The Goddesses’ Windows
Each painting in the series also called for thematic mandala designs for their ‘windows’ that appear behind their heads in the main series’ paintings. At some point, I’d like to do more with these designs to let the non-figural designs shine in all their intricate elegance.
Birthstone Goddesses Amulets
These designs were made as stickers for my Patreon Patrons, as well as what I hope will be enamel amulet necklaces I’ll be crowdfunding in the future.
Books & Misc
At the beginning of this journey, it was always my intent to create a wall calendar. A coloring book and Lady of Eternity themed products arrived later as Patreon exclusives. The Lady of Eternity enamel pin based on the drawing on the limited edition print is still an exclusive badge of honor for those Patrons who supported this series early on.
The Final Tally
125 creations, not including unique designs re-arranged for product designs like totes, pouches, etc.
- 14 Paintings
- 72 Drawings
- 25 Pin and Amulet Designs
- 12 Mask Designs
- 6 Kickstarter projects
- 1 book
- 1 calendar
The Future of the Goddesses?
While I’m wrapping up the Birthstone Goddesses collection for now, it was always my intent that I could return to the wider Gemstone Goddesses theme and explore other gem-related Goddesses. It’d be a chance for me to break away from the Mucha style and try other visual approaches. I also feel that I have a few more ideas for additional paintings involving some of the Birthstone Goddess characters that I’d love to include in a prospective Birthstone Goddesses art book collecting all of the images you see here.
However, after 6 years, I desperately need some space before I take on creating a book collection for them. I want to allow myself some creative freedom and a chance to thoroughly rest before I try anything else.
It’s strange to think what’s happened in my life during this 6 year span as well. I’ve gotten married, moved 4 times, helped my husband through his fight with lymphoma, heart failure, and job loss, had several surgeries, and so much more. Life has been coming at us sideways for so long, I’m happy to be at an ending now that I can savor and appreciate!
It’s been quite the journey and I’m so grateful for those who provided encouragement and support along the way! Thanks to everyone who pitched into my Patreon, supported my Kickstarters for this project, and left a kind word of encouragement in the years I’ve been doing this. It helped my husband and I survive during rough times, as well as let me focus more on the art that helped the Birthstone Goddesses happen.
This entry is already long enough, so I’m going to leave off here! I have some thoughts and feelings about the future of this Patreon and what art I’ll be sharing here that I’ll discuss in a later entry. For now, let us bask and enjoy this moment of accomplishment!
– Ang
