On rising seas depicts Poseidon emerging from the waves. The Greek god is more powerful and vengeful than ever. Due to the warming seas and oceans, increasingly powerful hurricanes are plaguing humanity.
On rising seas shows the Greek sea god Poseidon, looking up, at a hurricane in the making.
The beard of the Greek god Poseidon flutters like waves in the wind. Even in antiquity he was responsible for storms at sea. Due to the warming climate, he now easily surpasses his brother and supreme god Zeus in influence. The hurricanes and typhoons are becoming more severe every year.
A similar role was also fulfilled by Neptune, the Roman successor to Poseidon. He too ruled over the waters, even though his interest was more in rivers and lakes. The Greeks were apparently more familiar with sailing on the Mediterranean Sea than the Romans.
On rising seas drawn on the light sapwood of American walnut.
On rising seas is a composite sculpture. The head of Poseidon / Neptune is carved from the sapwood of American walnut. It can be sanded beautifully smooth, like the image on a coin. Slight depressions in the surface of the wood quickly depicted an eye socket or a beard.
The shell as headdress is gilded with 24-carat gold leaf. Rose gold to be precise. For the most beautiful effect, the shell also had to be sanded very smooth, otherwise a grainy effect occurs. The gold is ambiguous. Seductive, warm, precious, but also hard, inflexible, indifferent.
Annual rings symbolize the waves
The pedestal of the sculpture is carved from spruce wood from the wood construction industry. After burning the top layer, the annual rings emerge beautifully from this cross laminated timber (CLT). They remind me of waves. The shape of the pedestal is that of a razor clam, the Ensis. Also a shell, then.
On rising seas forms a unity with an earlier sculpture I made: On the beach. There the head of a young woman also rests on a razor clam. She is sunbathing, her eyes closed, her head turned upward, toward the sun.
The sun worshipper of On the beach together with the vengeful Poseidon of On rising seas.
Looking upward is what Poseidon does too, by the way. Is it with an eye to the development of yet another new typhoon or hurricane? Meanwhile, due to the warming of the climate, the sea level continues to rise worldwide. Even in antiquity the Greeks feared the ability of this vengeful god to flood cities with high tidal waves.
What do these sculptures tell together?
She is a sun worshipper. On the beach she enjoys ever more warm and sunny days per year.
Poseidon also looks up, at sea. He is creating another devastating storm. The Greek god now seems more powerful than his brother, Zeus. Not the lightning of the supreme god, but Poseidon’s raging water now determines world news. Due to the warming oceans, his tropical storms are swelling with unprecedented force. The ancient Greeks already feared his vengeful tidal waves, which flooded cities.
The sun worshipper puts on more sunscreen, for protection.
Jan Bom
January 2, 2026
