Hesperides

Ancient Greek mythology: The great hero Heracles went to retrieve three of the golden Apples of Hesperides. The precious Apples were in a garden, guarded by Ladon, a hundred-headed dragon. Heracles killed the dragon, and as the hero left with his golden prize, the blood flowed from the monster and seeped into the ground. Green tendrils began to spring from the earth, growing into dragon trees. As Ladon’s blood spread and sank into the earth, the trees grew and stretched their tangled canopies to the sky.

When a dragon tree is cut, the sap weeps a sanguine red, like the blood from which the first of them sprang.

Stephanie Law's work follows in the tradition of the mythic arts. She is based in Oakland, CA. Her paintings explores a surreal otherworld, and the manifestations of desire and archetype when seen with a shifted perception. Much of her inspiration stems from mythology and folklore, mingled with the movement of dance, and the chaos of Nature's wild growth. She has authored and illustrated 4 books ("Dreamscapes", through North Light Books), a series on watercolor technique within a fantastical framework, and she is also the author and illustrator of the Shadowscapes Tarot (2009, Llewellyn Worldwide).