March 31, 2009

a tale of olde . . of love & magic

my allegorical illustration for my Mr O -click on image to view in detail * * *
with no notion
not the smallest inkling . . .
*
she wended her way into the birthday merriment
*
not knowing that quiet magic was in the evening air
that those fates had already woven their precious spells
*
It happened on this night of starry nights not so many years ago.
*
a magical fairytale of olde, full of unsought beginnings,
undreamed of happiness, a perfect moment of rightness.
*
just as the story says, it was love at first sight
so very unbidden, so very right
so she met her Sir Owen
her mighty oak
* * *
(to think i so very nearly stayed at home x )

March 30, 2009

griffins and green men . . .

a travelling we have been, away to visit precious family
glorious sunshiny spring days down in old englandshire stained glass in chester cathedral such adventures we have had,
finding ourselves glared at by griffins
griffin outside the entrance to chester cathedralgrinned at by green men

green man at chester cathedralmenaced by stone monsters
carving over an old doorway
protected by winged knights
carving at chester cathedral watched over by glorious angelschester cathedral, carved angel . . . that only the first part of our journey
to chester cathedral

March 23, 2009

a poem of love & faerie's

It was an ordinarily hazy summers morn, when i opened this particular e-mail
sent to me, whilst i sat at work, from my dear Mr O, written by him, just for me.
As i read those words written on the page, my heart filled to bursting,
so beautiful, so unexpected, so very precious. . . should i share it with you
i think i must - they are too beautiful to keep hidden  . . .
" The shade over the forest was perfect,
 hazy hues of green swooping and gently swaying to nature's music over my head,
 a velvety canopy back-lit by the mid-summer sun,
 sparks of warm light randomly piercing the forest floor,
 the heady aroma of soft springy moss still sparkling with fresh dew.
i imagine resting with her up there;
 sharing wonderful tales of the elves, pixies and faeries
she knew; all of them her friends.
 i just knew that she would easily convince me of their existence
as we lay together, her sweet lips pressed to my ear,
uttering bewilderingly beautiful descriptions of 'the little ones',
 whispering lest they should hear! all the sketches,
the books and cards, the magical words, the gnarly trees -
 all of it so real as she lovingly and patiently
painted the canvas of my imagination...........
...... then, as she delicately sketched
a clutch of tiny mushrooms and wild flowers, i saw it!
 my heart jumped but i couldn't speak!
 the pointy ears were barely visible beneath the jaunty little blue hat,
 jet-black wispy hair billowing as the bejewelled dragonfly
 effortlessly powered the curly maple leaf down the crystal brook.......
 he scrabbled in the air, trying to catch his hat
as the taxi rounded the bend but it was too late!
he disappeared in a spraying silvery mist
leaving the tiny hat bobbing at the brook's edge.
 would he come back for it, or was he late for supper?

the cool slender hand, instantly familiar as it slides into mine;
the beautiful green eyes and happiest smile.
it is indeed the most enchanting forest, the perfect day,
my beautiful Ruthie lying next to me.........."
*   *   * 
Well, can you see why i was so bowled over?
words cannot express how much this means to me
my dear Mr O, my Musician, my poet . . . thank you x x

March 18, 2009

my unusual job

back to work tomorrow, my thursday/friday job
(explained a little here & here)
my favourite part - being asked to paint
someones beloved pet dog or cat
perhaps a prize ewe or bull even
(well..... we do live deep in the countryside!)
*
firstly i sketch from photos provided, just to give me a feel

sometimes it takes quite a few goes

some of the photos are hard to interpret!!
but when i finish painting on the stone
i know that my work will help the folk it was done for
allowing them to feel a sense of comfort & closure
strange to think that some of my work
sits in little quiet kirkyards of sw scotland
(please excuse the bad photography ;-( )

March 16, 2009

my precious boy . . .

precious things i am thinking of today
my 3 children
i have already introduced you to my daughters here & here
now i introduce my boy
such a lateral thinker, with wonderful imagination as i told here
he studies the world around him in great detail


sometimes too closely! "investigated" my tube of blue paint


he is an amazing young man
and i am oh, so very proud of him
his inner strength & his kindness
his compassion & his creativity
his wisdom & his patience

March 13, 2009

swirl

intricate swirls on a delicate shell
*
perfect
***
a faerie tale path
winding round a snow covered brae

March 11, 2009

Mull of Galloway snails . . .

In a windswept corner
 
at the Mull of Galloway
live whole moveable villages
amazing snail piles on the walls of the old garden
at the mull of galloway lighthouse
Love the shapes, colours & patterns they creat.
Inspiration for my sketchbook!

March 10, 2009

Brigid, my Celtic maiden

Brigid, chase away the cold of Winter
the coming of the Spring
is in your hands . . .
 intricate patterns
seem to have become very much part of my work
... this the second in my celtic seasons set

Beltaine Celtic maiden . . .

the first of my celtic seasons set
*

Beltaine when life bursts forth
and tis a time for feasts and fairs

The Celtic maiden with her fiery hair,
is one of a set of four inspired by
Mother Nature’s seasons.

The ancient Celtic triskele pattern,
symbolizes the cycles of life,
the every changing times of year.




having such troubles - scanner problems, colour problems
research required into best sort of NEW scanner to buy
any tips anyone?
***
this week i am making plans & pondering setting up my shop on etsy . . .
this feels such a big step, i have been putting it off over & over???

March 09, 2009

new week . . .

last week has been & gone
catching up, getting lost in books, researching
but i didn't lift a pencil
this week, monday & a new beginning
i so want to finish this & the set by week's end
here goes. . . . .

March 06, 2009

kirkmadrine stones & more celtic designs

last week we discovered, down a tree lined track . . .
kirkmadrine church, mull of galloway . . . a tiny little old church
kirkmadrine church, mull of gallowaybeautifully intricate doors of old
kirkmadrine stones ancient letters carved in stone
kirkmadrine stones wonderful old celtic designs

kirkmadrine stones
said to be some of oldest christian monuments in britain
from the 5/6th century AD
amazing to stand and gaze at these pieces of a past long gone by

March 02, 2009

time for reflection 2

... the very first time
in my whole 46yrs that i have spent
a stretch of days just me, myself, i
nothing but my own thoughts for company
with time . . .
time to paint on and on undisturbed

time to read for great long lazy stretches

time to eat when i wanted to eat
time to sleep (guilt free) for 14 hours solidly!
waking up to do it all over again
thank you Mr O for giving me
those wonderfully peaceful few days
how precious that was x
i wonder what precious "me" time others get ??