Surrounded By Flowers

“Through the dancing poppies stole, a breeze most softly lulling to my soul.”
John Keats

I could quite easily have laid down in these poppies and fallen asleep as Dorothy did in the Wizard Of Oz.  I didn't though. Luckily these poppies didn't have a magic spell put on them. Well not a sleepy one anyway. I think the spell Mother nature put on these is more a hypnotising enchantment because I just couldn't take my eyes off  them! The bees and butterflies coudn't either although you can't really see in the pictures.

Everywhere I look at the moment there are flowers, so it's not surprising I felt the urge to paint some.
Latest scraps of wood turned into flowery pendants.

No poppies here, but I'm sure they will find a way to sneak into my work somewhere, on something at sometime?
Hopefully next year there will be some in our little meadow area, that has come on well this year.

If you are interested in the pendants they will be heading over to here very shortly.
Enjoy the sunshine and flowers. x

Golden Eyes Magpies And A Beautiful Diary.

Look what I found... A toad with golden eyes stepped straight out of a fairytale into my garden. Isn't she gorgeous!...

I'm here to show you the painting finished.
( Been umming and ahhing over the name of this piece, so for now it is unnamed.)

And  more magpies, this time in a small 5x5 canvas which I've named....
                                                                    'Indigo Wood'

 

Both paintings will be scanned shortly and made available as prints.

I've been watching magpies out of the window this week. They've been hopping about in the garden. I think they have a nest nearby as I saw them chase a blackbird off and a grey squirrel. What characters they are! Did anyone see the beautiful raven on BBC Springwatch? Chester was his name and wasn't he handsome and so clever.
Hmmm... someone else has had their eye on birds too. Luckily without any success.

Other news... I've listed some more cards in the Etsy shop.
 

Pendants and postcards and more designs coming soon, as I still have plenty of scraps of wood!

And what a treat arrived in the post the other day.

 My complimentary copy  of next years 2012 ' Earth Pathways Diary'  I was so pleased to hear that my painting 'Wearing A Robe Of Gold' had been included. :-)
It really is a beautiful diary, filled  with wise words and stunning pictures. Pop across to here and snap one up, as I believe they disappear quicker than the queen of hearts jam tarts!  

A Rainy Day Out

A rainy day....

A house, glass eyes peer across landscape little changed.

Scent of raindrop soaked garden, flash of peacock turquoise. Jewels in the green.

Solid stone storybook house is watched. Eyes on peacocks, eyes on trees.

                                        (A painting awaits from these images I think? ;-))

And from the earth amid the leaves and damp and smallest of creatures, eyes that look up.

                                                           Let me lie on grasses green

                                                             On my mother earth I lean

                                                             Let me lie on grasses green
                                                              On my mother earth I lean

                                                                    Under burning sun
                                                              Through my veins she runs

                                                            Let me breathe the forest air
                                                         It's the life force that we all share
                                                               Feel my burning tears

                                                                Heal me through as I lie
                                                                       Here with you
                                                                      Heal me through

                                                          Let me sleep and keep me close

                                                                         ********

Hayley Westenra 'Let me Lie' extract

You can read more about the house here. :-)

Some Things I Have Done Since I Last Wrote Here

Saved and freed one tiny mouse hiding underneath a shoe in the kitchen, from the clutches of  one tabby cat.

Picked armfuls of the sweetest sweet williams.

Ate fairy sized strawberries and gathered rose petals.

Spied a grass snake.
Help rescue the dearest little lamb from the river and dried it with a towel. :-)

Bought the 'one ring' at the local carboot sale. ;-)

  Watched the sun set lilac, purple, and pink.

A perfect end to the first day of June.

 It's been peaceful  at my desk surrounded by the sounds and scents of the garden.

The baby birds have flown and now I can hear them cheeping in the apple tree, whilst Mummy bird carries on helping them to feed. Today summer truly arrived. The sun was hot, the sky blue and the orange blossom perfume, the smell of bliss.

As you can see on my desk in the photo above, I've been busy with some more wooden birds. Here they are finished...

I also thought I'd share with you a WIP ( work in progress) that I've been working on. A painting that's been on the easel for a few weeks now. It's been left and put aside for various other things that had to be completed first, but today I did a bit more.

Hopefully this will be finished soon?
Have a magical weekend everyone.
x

Thoughts, Walks And Hares

A few days ago I had a day off from doing creative things.We didn't go far, just a few miles away from home. 

 

                                                                  View of Silbury hill

Moon daisies ( Ox eye)  danced to the gentle scented breeze and skylark song surrounded the ancient West Kennet Long Barrow. A burial mound 5,000 years old.

As I leaned against the stone it felt warm, no hint of the usual coldness of stone.

Roundway hill was quiet. The blue butteflies fluttered upon tiny yellow flowers of Tom thumb undisturbed, happy to have reclaimed the land.

 

On July 13th 1643 it would have looked a rather different scene here. A site of a battle

Looking down this hill above I caught a fleeting glimpse of a hare before it disappeared  beneath the bush.
I have been visiting this hill for many years and whenever I do I always remember our school day out years back when we spent the day on the hill with other Wiltshire schools reinacting the battle. We made our costumes and were only allowed to bring food that would have been available in 1643. I remember having a small bag made out of sack to carry my lunch in and to conceal my waterbottle which held blackcurrant juice. ( pretend wine!) Our class were Roundheads, on Oliver Cromwells side. I dug up an old photo of us, ready for our journey up the hill before battle commenced. :-)

                                             
Sitting on the hill and near the barrow I felt content and at home. It made me think about a recent and interesting post by Christina on her blog 'A mermaid in the Attic'. She recently did a post called 'Meditations on home'   How sometimes we can feel disconnected and feel as though we don't truly belong if our ancestors have come from another place/country. I feel very lucky to feel connected with this land and feel that I am in the right place. My husband on the other hand feels the same as Christina. Being born and raised in Zimbabwe but having ancestors from Ireland, Scotland, Italy and maybe even a pirate from Portugal! He doesn't know where his roots really are? Maybe he never will?
The feeling I have is hard to put into words. It's a deep connection,  a sharing? It's not always felt, sometimes it only shows itself when you return from a far away place and step foot on home ground. .... Of course I could be competely wrong and I may well originate from Vikings? Just 3 miles away from my home they did DNA testing and found a group of Viking descendants! However I'm not that tall ( 5ft 6) and I was born with very dark brown hair and blue eyes, so perhaps not. ...Although I do have a strong pull /urge drawing me to Scandanavia?....... ;)
Please do go and read Christina's post on the link above, as it's a wonderful piece of writing.

After our day out, the rest of the week was busy, not as busy as this Mother or Father, who I've been watching put so much hard work into feeding chicks. We have a nest in a crack in the wall above the dining room. Photo's courtesy of my Dad who had his 'good' camera with him the other day.  x

I'm sure what I've been busy with is not as important as raising beautiful chicks, but I'll show you anyway..... 

                                             Forgetmenot Hare

                                                           Star Hare

                                                                  Harebell hare
And two more Oaky hares ....

Pop across to my Etsy shop  and take a look .
And enjoy the May bank holiday whatever you are up to?
x

Tree Time Tales And Some Starlight Birds

Waiting for moths to hatch or emerge can get a little like waiting for paint to dry really. The other morning though when I wasn't looking, one appeared. I let it out of the jar and it flew to the window pane where I was able to get a picture.It then flew to the holly tree, so I wished it well on it's journey. Now there are only two chrysalis left.

If you love moths like myself, click here for an  interesting programme that I enjoyed the other day.
I finished another tree inspired painting. Remember the sketch in my last blog post...

                                                                 The Blackthorn King

Both paintings, the one in my last post and this one I have done for 'Tree Time Tales' the theme of this years Cheltenham Illustration Awards which a talented artist friend of mine (whom I so wish would get a blog!) recommended I should give a go.
The painting 'Advice from A Tree' is based on the poem by the same name by Ilan Shamir. I think I have shared this poem on here before, but here it is again anyway.
                                                                 Advice from a Tree

Dear Friend,
Stand Tall and Proud
Sink your roots deeply into the Earth
Reflect the light of a greater source
Think long term
Go out on a limb
Remember your place among all living beings
Embrace with joy the changing seasons
For each yields its own abundance
The Energy and Birth of Spring
The Growth and Contentment of Summer
The Wisdom to let go of leaves in the Fall
The Rest and Quiet Renewal of Winter
Feel the wind and the sun
And delight in their presence
Look up at the moon that shines down upon you
And the mystery of the stars at night.
Seek nourishment from the good things in life
Simple pleasures
Earth, fresh air, light
Be content with your natural beauty
Drink plenty of water
Let your limbs sway and dance in the breezes
Be flexible
Remember your roots
Enjoy the view!
                                                                     By Ilan Shamir
                                                                 
The painting 'The Black Thorn King' is based around the story of the Erl King. but I also included a thread of an enviromental theme running through it, so it has a double meaning. In the picture he has been defeated. The rider has escaped. He will always be Autumn. (Cut down and will never see spring again.) I have turned the tables so to speak and the Erl king/tree king has become the victim. A slight similarity to Angela Carter's version. in her book The Bloody Chamber which is a dark magical  read  and full of wonderful imagery.
A while ago I shared a song by Josh Ritter on one of my older posts that I love that is also based on The Erlking. The story has been changed to Oak tree King in the song. Take another look here it really is a beautiful song.
 I shall leave you with some Starlight birds, soon to spread their wings to my Etsy shop.

Did anyone catch a glimpse of the full moon last night? I was told it was A 'Hare Moon' but sadly was cloudy here.