The Lord of Dance
Shiva is often portrayed as Nataraja, the Lord of Dance and the patron deity of the dance form ‘Bharatanatyam’ . There are many metaphysical interpretations to two forms of his dance - the Lasya which is a gentle form of dance associated with the creation of the universe, and the Tandava which is a violent dance associated with the destruction of the universe.
I’ve seen most depictions of Nataraja in the exact same pose of dance. But since he’s supposed to be the Lord of Dance, I felt he ought to have a bit more variety in his repertoire, hence my decision to depict him in a different pose, covered in swirling snakes and tiger-skins and dancing atop a demon.