This artwork is the beginning of a series of paintings that I plan to create, depicting my own personal interpretations of the Greek gods. This first artwork is based on the god of the sun, Apollo. In mythology, he is often depicted as happy and calm but he also has an authoritative and arrogant side which I decided to show through his facial expression. The yellow in the background on the sun rays is used to describe his optimism but the white was used to express the purity and holiness that was associated with the greek gods. His red robe is a symbol of his power, status and the influence he had among others. The outer edges of the canvas are painted a light blue color to contrast with the warm tones of the figure and the background but it also represents his tranquility, harmony and wisdom, as does the golden olive branch crown he has. I used texture in the background by layering a thick body acrylic to give the piece more depth and make the image more striking.