HERMES: Olympian messenger to and for the gods

 




Hermes, in ancient Greek mythology, was an Olympian messenger, carrying messages between the mortal and divine worlds.  He was also known as a trickster, and a conductor of souls into the afterlife.  

Hermes is the character I chose to create around a pair of cardboard shoe forms.  Three layers of recycled paper  in the Papier mache technique was used on the shoe forms to create Hermes's winged sandals,  which I covered with silk fabric; leather for the sandals and feathers for the wings. 


Winged sandals: 6.5 x 3 x 2 inches/16.5 x 7.6 x 10.1 cm

Next, I created Hermes's petasos (winged helmet).  Using recycled paper, I free-formed the helmet and painted it with acrylic paint.  Feathers, a leather visor and a brass button depicting Hermes, were added to complete the helmet. 


Hermes's petasos (winged helmet): 7 x 5.75 x 4 inches/17.8 x 14.6 x 10.1 cm 


Brass button with Hermes 

I decorated a shoe box with acrylic paint, and images from a piece of wrapping paper with Roman architectural images, to house the pieces.  


The lid of the shoe box: silk and paper: 12.5 x 6.75 x 4.25 inches/31.25 x 17.5 x 10.5 cm



Inside the shoe box: paper column and acrylic paint 


Inside the lid: acrylic paint and paper 

The final pieces include a hand-written scroll with an abridged version of the Homeric hymn to Hermes, and a leather mail pouch, with a brass button depicting Hermes,  to hold the scroll.

Handwritten scroll: closed:  6 x 1.3 inches/15.2 x 4 cm/ Open: 6 x 144 inches/15.2 x 365.7 cm


Leather mail bag for the scroll: 7.25 x 6 inches/18.5 x 15.2 cm


This is the second piece created from the journey of the shoes.  

Mary 
bbinder999@gmail.com



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