Seven Gates: Black

Seven Gates series

Materials: Paper, Prismacolors, mechanical pencil, scissors, Exacto knife
Time: One year

I Red Gate
II Orange Gate
III Yellow Gate
IV Green Gate
V Blue Gate
VI Purple Gate
VII Black Gate


A series based on the short story “Descent of Shaloma” from Barbara Walker’s Feminist Fairy Tales. The story is a retelling of two famous legends: The Descent of Ishtar and Salome’s Dance of the Seven Veils.


Summary: A princess’s lover is killed. To get him back, she must perform a special dance in seven robes – the outermost garment colored red, then orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and black. This opens a path to the underworld.

She must pass through seven gates – the first red, then orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black. At each gate, a keeper tells her the same thing: “You are of the living. You cannot pass into the land of the dead without paying a price.”

She responds, “I can pay the price,” and gives up one of her gowns.

Finally she reaches the last gate, and enters the heart of the underworld in only her skin…



Other: This series rose out of two challenges from my friends: that I work with the female form, and take a break from the computer (in other words, use physical materials!) These dares took on a life of their own, turning into Seven Gates.

The series is quite different from what I usually produce – and I am well satisfied.