04/13/2026
THE SEA PRIESTESS
For many centuries and beyond, mermaids have spanned the folklore and mythologies of cultures around the globe. From the Irish born Merrows to the freshwater Niaids to La Tlanchanas of Mexico, these underwater supermodels have always enchanted us.
My Sea Priestesses hail from the crystal clear waters of the Bermuda Triangle. They were known for their love of the ultra glamorous and were experts in finding the most elegant hidden treasures, both natural and man made. For eons, they would scour the sea floor for precious rock formations and organic gems. In the 1840s, when the popularity of commercial cruise ships took hold, they began to see new things not found in the natural world. Many of the Priestesses would use garish costume jewelry mistakenly dropped overboard during a family photo shoot on "formal night' to adorn their tails. Others used discarded wedding rings of jilted lovers thrown into the sea in a bout of passion and anger as elegant chokers. Tiaras from wannabe princesses snatched off their heads by their mischievous and bratty brothers were now repurposed into noble crowns for these aquatic elites. Entire treasure chests worth thousands to millions of dollars that had slid into the waters during vicious and uncontrollable storms became inventory for their newly formed fashion houses. The Sea Priestesses now had an entire mall of finery to choose from. They would hold grand pageants showing off their elaborate costumes made by these scavenged items.
This is where the story takes somewhat of a dark turn.
It was around the end of the last century that their flamboyant looks started to attract attention. Their jewels and crystals glistened both in the sun and in the moonlight. Marauding pirates were especially attracted to them. Using nets fashioned out of rhinestones they had stolen from the nouveau riche, it was an easy catch. A true Sea Priestess can never resist a rhinestone. The unwitting Sea Priestesses were kidnapped in one fell swoop. They were carted away from their pristine aquarium and taken around the bend of the Florida keys up into the muddy waters of the Mississippi. The plan was for these pirates to sell these damsels in distress to various circuses and sideshows for the art of exploitation. What the swashbuckling imbeciles failed to remember is that mermaids have hypnotic powers second only to the mesmeric skills of the ancient vampire. One by one, the Priestesses charmed their way out of their nets and slid quietly into the river, kept safe and sound and unnoticeable by the murky opaque waterway. After years of being ogled by adoring fans and dangerous lowlifes, they were finally out of the spotlight. That newly found anonymity and safety felt strangely good. Here they were once again free to roam and to scavenge for discarded drag. But the things they were finding were not quite up to their standards. Cartons and crates of mass produced tchotchkes littered the river bed. Things pedestrian and uninspired. Literal trash. The opposite of distinguished or refined. Bored and disgusted by this unearthly waste of a disposal sight, they hatched their plan. They would become the gatekeepers of all that entered the mouth of the river allowing only the finest collections of artistry from around the world, all the while sinking the ships filled with the plain and mundane to the dismal depths, never to be seen again.
This is where The Sea Priestess(es) and I connect. I have always been a collector. A collector of beautiful things. I've been obsessed with the old, the unusual, the handmaid. I have an unhealthy attraction to things that are one-of-a-kind. Including people! I have love and respect for the tiniest things knowing that somewhere, sometime, an artist designed and made them with love and care. Call me a hoarder if you will, but if you ever have the chance to see my collection, you will eat those words with a gilded antique spoon.
This Green Queen is set into a modified antique clock/antique pump organ hybrid measuring 30 inches tall and 14 inches wide. She is sculpted with polymer clay, painted with cosmetics and acrylics and encrusted with vintage/antique jewelry. She is ready to hang (out with you in your home).
This is a One of a Kind piece. You can also order your own custom made Sea Priestess. Choose your own color scheme. Send me personal items to incorporate into the assemblage. Give her a theme and a back story. Make her your own. Or? Make her a him! I always welcome a challenge. X
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