Anoush, Mother of Dragons
Watercolour on Paper, 45 x 60 inches, 2025.
She is sweetness forged in fire. Anoush, mother of dragons, rises from the molten heart of Mount Ararat—eternal, beautiful, and utterly untamable.
Part of my large-scale watercolor series reimagining Armenian goddesses from before Christianity, Anoush embodies both beauty and elemental power. Like her sisters Anahid, Nané , and Spandaramet, she is brought to life here as a force both mythical and deeply human.
In Armenian mythology, Anoush is the mother of dragons, dwelling in the volcanic depths of Mount Ararat. Her name, which also means “sweet” in Armenian, belies her fierce and ancient power. In this work, I portrayed her emerging from the mountain’s crater, cradling glowing dragons like children, her body laced with molten veins. The scale of the piece mirrors her presence—vast, fluid, and volatile. Watercolor is a medium that resists control, and that resistance mirrors her story: fire contained within softness, sweetness layered over strength.
