Innumerable and present in every aquatic environment, the poet Hesiod described how they “serve the earth and the deep waters,” personifying springs and the sources of marine expanses. For illustrator Sonia Alins, the stories of the Oceanids provide a well of inspiration.
I’m exploring, in a poetic and allegoric way, concepts such as motherhood and sisterhood.
Alins’ ongoing series Dones d’Aigua, which translates to “women of water,” focuses on glowing, full-figured figures who float, bob, and dive unselfconsciously in seemingly infinite expanses of blue rendered in ink, acrylic, and watercolor.
Her dreamy depictions of women and children floating serenely in water evoke maternal care and emotional connection. Despite the apparent isolation from surrounding land or activity, the figures express deep bonds and a sense of togetherness, security, and tranquility.
In her opinion, “I feel the water as powerful entity, a supernatural force capable of source anguish, pain, desperation in the same way that it is a source of happiness, joy, inner peace, and love.”
Click to view more her early works.
All images © Sophie Alins, shared with permission
