So, this one was inspired by a motet / psalm by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina from the year 1604.

"Sicut cervus desiderat ad fontes aquarum"
As the deer desires the fountain’s water
"Sitivit anima mea, desiderat anima mea ad te"
My soul thirsts, my soul longs for you.

I found it quite intriguing, an expression of deep longing and devotion. Something animistic or mystic maybe… and I also wanted to draw a nude, so I started looking for a reference picture and found one where a woman is holding a skull of a deer.

I think a dead deer makes the longing even more elevated, eternal yet fleeting, and maybe futile…

All this in combination with the psalm, made me want to frame the subject in a somewhat Art Nuveau style setting that creates a mystic, nature goddess like vibe.

This time I made several photocopies of the line drawing, so I could try out different colors for the background (as you can see below). The one I originally chose was a bit odd, with the pink and apple green, so I made a toned down re-coloration. (2025)

I also experimented with watercolor overlay and more texturized leaves, but ended up using just a pencil and Promarker markers on printing paper, just like last time. The size is 12x19cm.