Min of the Desert

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Nearly 3,500 years ago, the female pharaoh Hatshepsut ordered five trading ships built for a voyage over the Red Sea to the legendary Land of Punt. In present day, Florida State University maritime archaeologist Cheryl Ward, has sailed the same waters on a similar vessel, a reconstruction of an 18th Dynasty trading ship. Called Min of the Desert in honour of the powerful Egyptian fertility god, the ship was partly based on a detailed relief depicting Hatshepsut's fleet in her funerary temple.

When I stumbled upon this epic chronicle of an ancient female pharaoh, and modern day female archeologist and adventurer, I knew I had to incorporate this reconstructed ship into one of my Nauticus paintings. The pale blues and soft yellows and oranges of this piece seemed the perfect abstract depiction of Hatshepsut’s voyage for the Land of Punt.

Min of the Desert is a 16x20" acrylic and ink painting on a 1" thick canvas, and does not come framed.

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Nautical art has been a long established motif which for many was used to convey the beauty of their surroundings or the dramatic hardships of a sailor’s life. In my current series, I'm attempting to evoke the romantic gesture of transition, a theme found commonly thread through so many nautical compositions, almost creating a dreamlike state. To help accentuate this abstract upheaval often felt during transit, I've taken inspiration from J. M.W. Turner to develop my gestural painting style, while grounding the seascapes, by adding detailed illustrations of ships from both historical and fictional seafaring tales.