Siegfried's Rhine Journey

In the third opera of the Ring Cycle, "Siegfried," the title character is introduced. The son of the ill-fated union of Siegmund and Sieglinde, Siegfried the the pure, if naive hero that awakens Brunhilde from her enchanted spell as she lies asleep, surrounded by the circle of magic fire that was put in place as protection by her father, Wotan. Once awakened, complications ensue for the new lovers.

In this tableau, I can image the hero gazing down upon the Rhine Valley as the music swells in the background. Ironically, I'm listening to orchestral versions of the Ring music right now, including "Siegfried's Rhine Journey." Wagner may have been a wretched human being, but he could write sublime music.

I found this image interesting because of the little inconsistencies in it. The model was ernest and patient, but he looked a bit like a Southern California surfer dude to me. And the "armor" and leather skirt must have been a Roman Centurion costume borrowed from the church Eastern Pageant. The horned helmet was also a bit large, but somehow the model pulled it together with a strong pose and simple dignity. Good job!

This model produced one of my favorite shots from the paint-out. I'm guessing she is the tragic Sieglinde, mother to Siegfried, who died giving birth to the hero. There is a mysterious quality to this girl, and I thought the lighting in the glen was wonderful. In truth she is standing about 10 feet away from the guy portraying Siegfried, so various poses could be contemplated.

You have to love the modern world, however. Underneath that robe she was plugged into her iPod, blissfully listening to whatever it was she was listening to, zoning out with that enigmatic and exotic look that captivated many of the artists there. She was gorgeous.

And finally, here's a shot of Tina working away on a portrait of the model shown in my last post. The picture has undergone a bit of a metamorphisis since the paint-out. It's not done, but it is coming along nicely. I'll let Tina talk about it later when it's done and she posts it on her blog.