In my book, Art and Sacred Sites: Connecting with Spirit of Place, I have a chapter on Caves in South of France with specific reference to Font-de-Gaume in the Dordogne River Valley. (See my earlier post from July 3, 2015). Since my journey there was in 1995, I didn’t remember being able to photograph inside the cave and the only photograph I could find in my archives was an exterior view of the rock face. However, I did remember vividly the pubic triangle inscribed on the cave wall which spoke of ancient rituals inspired by the Divine Feminine.

So just the other day while going through some old snapshots, (yes, before digital), I found three photos of images of Font-de-Gaume. The simple line drawings are so beautiful and elegant! I was thrilled to re-visit the images of the sacred feminine, vulva shapes in the form of simple triangles, or more organic renditions scratched into the walls. I can see why I was inspired to create artwork upon returning to the studio.

According to Marija Gimbutas, these abstract female forms feature the buttocks and are often marked by one or two lines. (11,000 – 9,000BC).

Here are a few monotypes that were inspired by my pilgrimage to this ancient cave.