Still here.

Hello! I'm still here if you were wondering where I had got to?... Time really ran away with me this last month and I can't believe I haven't got around to posting on here since February. I haven't really felt talkative to be honest, no reason, just that sometimes there seems so much talk, gossip and babble going on in the world that sometimes you feel silenced, need to step back, be quiet and get away from it all online. I'm sure others feel the same?
Spring has arrived here in Wiltshire. The snowdrops have said their goodbyes and now the banks are dotted with the sunshine coloured faces of shining celandines. Primroses are popping up everywhere in the garden.

Thy smiles I note, sweet early flower,
That peeping from thy rustic bower
The festive news to earth dost bring
A fragrant messenger of Spring. ~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Birds in the garden are busy with nesting although some do have time for afternoon snacks of sultanas. 

I haven't seen my Robin friend in a while. I last saw him a few weeks back with another robin, he came very close but wouldn't come onto my hand. He was very noisy chirping a lot at me. I like to think he was telling me he was very busy and explaining that if he got on my hand I don't think his partner would be very happy. I'm hoping he may return after nesting season is over but if he doesn't then I feel grateful that I had some wonderful special moments with him. 

                                                                         ~*~

I've been working on a commission which will be used as a dvd cover for a very talented irish lady that dances. I'm sure she has magical feet.  Here's some snippets of the painting to show you.   

I'll share more about the dvd when it's out and for sale at a later date. 

Another painting that has recently been finished is 'I am Earth'

 I was playing around with designs for my wooden hare hangers and these words popped up. I didn't want to wait to put them on a wooden hanger so painted them into a picture instead. I shall be making this available as a print to buy in my shop very shortly. 

Enjoy the sunshine! :)

And she saw in his eyes that all was enchanted between Earth and sky

The title of this post is also the title of this painting below that I have recently finished. A sketch since last year, but like many of my ideas, they often get put aside for a later date. It's painted on watercolour paper. I kind of wish that I had painted it on wood or canvas now that it's complete,  I love how you can build up a much thicker richer  colour and layers and play around a bit on those surfaces. However I chose paper, which I also love.  I like that you can achieve a certain delicacy by not using so much paint which I tend to do when I use paint on paper.
I don't think I will ever be a 'one or the other' person, as I would miss too much whichever one I chose to abandon.
 You may well see a similar painting popping up on wood or canvas at some point in time. ;)

Dandelion clocks, moths, starry blue hare, silvery mist and snippets of gold.  

 I also finished another piece last week, which is again on paper. 'Path of the Ancients'                                                             

After finishing this painting and naming it, I was browsing the web for some words to share with this post on the theme of ancient and I came stumbled across this wonderful poem. It seems so appropriate and surely a definite case of synchronicity?

'The Ancients of the world'

By Ronald Stuart Thomas

The salmon lying in the depths of Llyn Llifon

Secretly as a thought in a dark mind,

Is not so old as the owl of Cwm Cowlyd

Who tells her sorrow nightly on the wind.

The ousel singing in the woods of Cilgwri,

Tirelessly as a stream over the mossed stones,

Is not so old as the toad of Cors Fochno

Who feels the cold skin sagging round his bones.

The toad and the ousel and the stag of Rhedynfre,

That has cropped each leaf from the tree of life,

Are not so old as the owl of Cwm Cowlyd,

That the proud eagle would have to wife.

                                                         

 I've added both new pictures as prints, to my Etsy shop.

                                                                               ***
In between painting, time has been spent as much as possible outside. Garden jobs and harvesting delicious things such as these.

 And noticing things such as these.

On the left, a  rather magnificent caterpillar which has stayed put beneath the porch for the last two days. I think it's maybe going to form it's cocoon? Anyone know what it is? I haven't had chance to research yet.
The other two butterfly chrysalis I discovered hanging from beneath our water butt lid. Not the safest of places to hang. If we get a lot of rain and it overflows, they will be submerged and drowned. What a horrible thought.  I shall be keeping an eye on these two, as it could be another moving job?

Since last writing here I have acquired an Instagram account. Why don't you come and join me if you have it. :) x

An Interview With Dpi Magazine

Several weeks ago I was kindly asked to do an interview with the Taiwan magazine dpi. Dpi stands for (Design Popular Imagination) It's a lovely monthly magazine by the looks and I'm really happy with the spread they have done. I'm in this months issue, so thought I'd share it with you.   

 Here is the interview as it's to small to read on the pictures......
 

What kind of material, tool and technique do you use for your creation?

 I work very traditionally in acrylic paint on canvas, wood or watercolour paper. Sometimes I might use coloured pencils on paper alongside the paint. I occasionally add metallic paint and gold and silver leaf.

It feels peaceful to your artworks, and how do you describe your creating style?

Yes, alot of people have told me that my work has a calming effect or sense of peace to it. I'm really happy about this as hopefully it means I'm achieving a little part of what I've set out to do? Much of my work is about connection. The connection between humans and animals, plants trees, nature in general. I often feel that there is a disconnection between us and nature /animals. We as humans have separated ourselves from it, living in cities or submerged in our material worlds. Sadly we exploit it and have in some areas lost all respect for it. In my work I try to show that the connection is still there if you look for it. A special magic, wisdom a spark, a deep respect that was once lost can be re-found, relit and reconnected. I use imagery with stars alot to potray this magic and my colours are often centred around blue which is a very calming colour. I hope the peace that people see in my work is maybe that connection showing itself?
Other pictures of mine can be more whimsical and light hearted and are painted with a specific piece of writing in mind.

What's your inspiration from? Is there anything can inspire you from daily life?

Nature, stories myths, folk and fairy tales and a single word can spark an idea. A piece of music an image, film or an old object found can open rusty locks to creative doors in my head. I'm inspired by many things.I love notebooks and am always  filling them with sentences that often come to me in the midnight hours. These often lead to a painting. At my desk on a daily basis I'm inspired by what's going on outside my window. The trees, their skeletal form in winter. The birds rooks and jackdaws that live in them. The light, how it falls , the constant changing of the sky, the windsong on the leaves.

 

It looks that your artworks contain a lot of animals, such as owl, fox and dogs. Why do you like to draw animals in your artworks? Would you share your design conception with us?

I use animals in a symbolic way. I've always been interested in stories using animals. Fairytales and superstitions relating to them. I use them as the inbetween link between us and the earth or ethereal world I suppose? 

The owl sat amid the starlit forest in my painting  'The Keeper Of Time' for instance is just that an owl, but is also reminding us of wisdom and the passing of time. Or a wisdom lost over time. 

The fox in my picture 'Wearing A Robe Of Gold ' is to me a prince in the landscape. He turns to glance at the light. I used the light to symbolise hope of things to change and the elephant hawk moth that has just hatched from it's sleep represents new beginnings.

  

Would you talk about your works “the hare” and “thrush”? What’s your design conception of these two images and why do you want to put people and animal in the image? 

I use people and animals together to emphasise a bond. The Thrush picture or 'Nest' is about  similarities. Reminding ourselves that we too are animals How we both have the same instinct watching over our offspring.The hare and woman is again about connection something passing between them. Unspoken, a feeling, a knowing between them. 'A Secret'

The image of “Magic Toyshop” looks has different design conception with other artworks. Would you share the creating idea with us?

The Magic Toyshop painting is an old work of mine. My palette and subject matter was much darker at this point in time. It was work I did at college and based on Angela Carters book of the same title. I won first prize as student Illustrator with it at the Benson And Hedges Gold Awards. 

Will you try another creating style in the future? Moreover, do you have any latest artworks now?

At the moment I'm happy with my style of working. Although I would like to learn more about digital work. I would also like to do some much larger paintings and more book Illustration work. I'm working on preliminary ideas at the moment for my next painting about the circle and dance of Spring.

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Now to the Novica giveaway!  Before I announce the winner I have a little good news. Instead of one voucher for $75, I got things a little mixed up and actually have two!  So.. that means two winners!  

I asked my son and daughter to choose two numbers and they chose numbers 11 and 12.

         So the winners are.... 'Deborah Long'  and 'Bunnits'

Congratulations! Email me and I'll send you the vouchers! :-)