To close out the year, the decade, and my Planet Horse series, here is Ceres, Queen of the Asteroid Belt. Since I added Pluto (and Charon) last year I felt it would be fitting to pay homage to another important celestial object—and a very important goddess.
Like all my Planet Horses this piece was done with India ink, colored pencils and metallic pen. The original is 9″x12″ and will being debuting at the Further Confusion Art Show in a couple weeks.
Ceres the dwarf planet is the largest object in the asteroid belt and the only dwarf planet located in the inner solar system. Although Pluto is 14 times more massive, Ceres has something Pluto doesn’t: water. It was also visited in 2015 by the spacecraft Dawn who provided the photos I used for reference.
Ceres the goddess is Roman Demeter, goddess of agriculture, fertility, harvest, and in some cases, law and order and justice as well. Her cult claimed that she gave spelt to early people, ushering them into civilization.
To pay homage to both the planet and the goddess, the border for the piece is decorated by waves and spelt wheat. She also has a somewhat ghostly appearance. After all, Ceres as we know her today is a ghost of her former power and glory, at the height of which she overshadowed even mighty Jupiter. But Ceres the little dwarf planet is still important, and very much a part of our solar system.
I chose to represent her with a miniature horse, not just for her small stature, but also because miniature horses come with spotted coats, which can (with a little imagination) be made to look like her coat of craters.
You can see progress pics and read more of my thoughts will working on this piece over on my Patreon, which you can unlock for just $1/month.
Happy New Year!