From the Artist:

The Orishas are deities that play a major role in the mythology and culture of the African Diaspora.  Their stories, songs, and worship are at the heart of indigenous African belief, and are strongly rooted in Yoruban culture.  Due to the forced migration of African peoples worldwide under slavery and colonialism, these deities and their worship have spread throughout many cultures, especially those in South and Latin America.  These renderings depict four of the seven best-known Orishas.

Papa Legba/Elleggua: He opens the doors of possibility and stands at the crossroads.  He is a wise man and a trickster who will create situations that force you to change your perspective when you have become too rigid in your thinking.

Oshun: The goddess of sweet waters, lakes, rivers, and streams.  She is famous for her sensuality, provocative and persuasive wiles, her beauty, her divinatory abilities, and her capacity for generating abundance.

Oya: Goddess of the marketplace, rainbows, and the weather.  As a goddess of transformation, she creates dramatic shifts in physical and spiritual consciousness when you need to grow beyond your present reality.

Yemaya: The ocean, the waters of life.  She is the divine Mother who loves her children, but who will also use her power to teach you a lesson when you have gotten out of line.  She cradles the world in her strong, loving arms.

About the Artist: Ninette Lewis is a multi-media artist who works in paint, film, photography, and graffiti technique.  She studied fine art at California College of Arts and Crafts, draws inspiration from extraordinary facets of the ordinary world, and is a student of the Universe.  See more of her work at www.cosmicgrasshopper.com