MYTHOLOGY : Often overlapping with the folklore of El Pajaro Gigante, La Lechuza is an archetype from northern Mexico/southern Texas. There are many variants & resurgences of her lore, but common threads are that La Lechuza was a woman who lived on the outskirts of a north Mexican desert town. When a child goes missing, the townsfolk accuse her of taking him, asserting she is a malevolent witch - persecuting & killing her. To exact revenge, the woman makes a deal with the devil to come back as a shape-shifting woman/owl…& something in-between...
From there, accounts vary - some say she soars through the night skies, scooping up mischievous children out past their bedtime, others said men who are out late, drunk have have been terrorized by her, with similar tales of a gigantic bird swooping down upon tourists/folks walking rural roads at night.
THEMES : Tale as old as time - woman living outside societal norms is contextualized as a demon &/or witch. Having been demonized, said woman-creature is woven into boogeyman-like bedtime stories to keep children in line, men off the bottle, and careless visitors acting mindfully. I love the way mythology hands down ethics and morals…but i also believe the characters, the archetypes, the monsters are as complex as we are - never fully good nor evil. Flawed, fantastical, righteously angry, ferociously tender - these much afeared femmes are a reflection of us in all our multifaceted splendor.
(pictured surrounded by the night sky & Mexican Olive flowers)
9×12” print of original artwork by Kita (that’s me!) Printed (on thick, beautifully textured watercolor paper) and packed (in a biodegradable cellulose sleeve) by me, in my very own tiny Chicago studio surrounded by Iranian folklore, cats, plants & art alchemy. Story card about the art included.
MYTHOLOGY : Often overlapping with the folklore of El Pajaro Gigante, La Lechuza is an archetype from northern Mexico/southern Texas. There are many variants & resurgences of her lore, but common threads are that La Lechuza was a woman who lived on the outskirts of a north Mexican desert town. When a child goes missing, the townsfolk accuse her of taking him, asserting she is a malevolent witch - persecuting & killing her. To exact revenge, the woman makes a deal with the devil to come back as a shape-shifting woman/owl…& something in-between...
From there, accounts vary - some say she soars through the night skies, scooping up mischievous children out past their bedtime, others said men who are out late, drunk have have been terrorized by her, with similar tales of a gigantic bird swooping down upon tourists/folks walking rural roads at night.
THEMES : Tale as old as time - woman living outside societal norms is contextualized as a demon &/or witch. Having been demonized, said woman-creature is woven into boogeyman-like bedtime stories to keep children in line, men off the bottle, and careless visitors acting mindfully. I love the way mythology hands down ethics and morals…but i also believe the characters, the archetypes, the monsters are as complex as we are - never fully good nor evil. Flawed, fantastical, righteously angry, ferociously tender - these much afeared femmes are a reflection of us in all our multifaceted splendor.
(pictured surrounded by the night sky & Mexican Olive flowers)
9×12” print of original artwork by Kita (that’s me!) Printed (on thick, beautifully textured watercolor paper) and packed (in a biodegradable cellulose sleeve) by me, in my very own tiny Chicago studio surrounded by Iranian folklore, cats, plants & art alchemy. Story card about the art included.
