Amilhat explains that the idea for this painting started not with an old fairy tale, but rather with a contest for concept art whose theme was ‘Sea Witch.’ “Searching for the story, I started with the archetypal old woman as a witch. I wanted to link her wisdom or magical abilities with the sea. She could be manipulating water like fabric, so it became clear to me that she was an old fisherwoman who repairs nets for the men at sea.”
