Some were beastly creatures (2015)

Kate Beynon
Some were beastly creatures 2015
watercolour, gouache, metallic pigment and pencil on cotton rag and board
Courtesy of the artist and Sutton Gallery, Melbourne
© Kate Beynon/Copyright Agency, 2020

This watercolour from the ‘Dance of the Spirits’ series take their titles from a passage in An-Li: A Chinese Ghost Tale:

The following day the Prince of the Dragon Cave held a review of his dancers. When all were assembled the dance of the Ogres began ... Some were beastly creatures with mischievous grins, others ghoulish and horned. They had gold glinting eyes and outfits made of scales … When the dance began, huge waves spouted up to the skies, falling back down like scatters of starlight.