Celtic blessings & a vist to Cumbria . . .

I chose another of my favourite Celtic blessings for my latest piece

"May you have. . . "

 May you have walls for the wind and a roof for the rain

and drinks beside the fire,  laughter to cheer you

& those you love near you and all that you heart may desire.

As i worked on this piece I got to thinking about my own blessings

how lucky I am to have walls & a roof, drink & food & warmth.

  What more could a person ask for.
*

Another blessing I am oh so thankful for is being Mom to my 3.

Only now times they are a changing, i suddenly have an empty nest!

My number 3 is setting off with a happy wave for college life

 and as i I sit here at home I can feel the air quietly shift & re-settle

as it fills the spaces, as our lives take on new patterns & ways.
*

So whilst the pattern of our days settles itself

and I grow accustomed to this quieter wee cottage

i am smiling at the memories, keeping busy,  painting & making

and so looking forward to future times & family visits.
*

I have so many other things to share, where do i start . . .

Perhaps with our days in Cumbria finding Celtic inspirations and

the "The Giants Grave", a collection of 4 separate monuments, 

2 crosses & 4 hogback tombstones at St Andrews church said to mark

the burial place of Owen Caesarius, King of Cumbria 920 to 937 AD.
*

Or the stone circle "Long Meg & her daughters" with its 69 stones,

dated about 1500bc, I felt such connections here in this ancient place.

 We also hunted down the Loki stone in Kirby Stephen, depicting the

Norse god.  A reminder of invading Vikings here once upon a time.
*

Back home a last minute decision found us camping out

at our local,  friendly music festival the "Wickerman".

Lots of excellent music, catching up with friends old & new

& rounded off with the spectacular burning of the giant wickerman.
*

The Kirkcudbright art trail at which Mom & I had our work

was a wonderful event, its always good to actually meet customers

I'd like to say a huge thank you to all who called in.
*

So as the sun sets on these last days of August

I hope you too have many blessings to count.

 

My newest Celtic Blessing painting is available as prints

in my etsy shop here,  I now offer up to A3+ size prints.

I also have a new folksy store here which i am in the process of stocking.

do remember to keep an eye open for the magical
"once in a blue moon" on 31st!

x x x

The sunset above is the view over the Cairnsmore of Fleet,
Dumfries & Galloway.

my wee studio & an art trail . . .

There has been a hustle and a bustling in my studio lately.

My muse has returned, oh joy! 

 I'm spending happy hours nestled in my creating space.

I  love my studio,  it was a dream I held for many years

to have such a place and now at last i do  . . .

folk who visit say it fascinates them with so much to look at!

 That makes me smile,   I'm usually such a tidy soul, 

yet this space of mine is overflowing and i love it!

It isn't a space i " put" together, rather it has grown about me

like a comfortable blanket, familiar & cosy & comforting.

When i step through the door I enter into another world.

A world where  i dream & plot & paint & sketch,

listen to  endless stories & magical music.

This wee haven fills me with peace & inspiration.

It's almost time for the next Kirkcudbright Art Trail 

A whole year has passes since the last one see here

  A wonderful event held from Friday 3rd to Mon 6th August.

The wee town of Kirkcudbright will be filled with a hum of activity

as local artists & crafts folk show their wares.

You can find lots more info, a brochure & map here on the website.

My dear Mom Jean Redden & I will be there again this year

We will be downstairs in Rhubarb, Castle Street  again 

if you are about do pop in, its always lovely to meet folk.

Above is my piece donated for the a canvas wall, 

a fab idea that allows folk to pick up a piece of art for £10!!

I do hope to see some of you there x x

An allergy & a magical cure . . .

Hello treasures ~ I am back at last, with such a happy sigh.

for this last long while I have felt just like rip van winkle!

or frodo baggins in the sleeping grove!

Now i'm back with a tale . . .

Silently & slowly over many moons a great weariness, heaviness, 

a bone deep tiredness had crept up and settled upon me,
I had other odd & annoying symptoms too.

I thought, for a long while,  it was just me ~ getting older ;-)

 Then by chance my  knight in shining armour (my Mr O)

 consulted with a wise man who pronounced a magical cure.

My ailment ~ foods that really shouldn't be passing my lips

things that did daily ~ wheat & dairy, sugar & caffeine!

 So i set too and (though often tempted) I have banished those baddies

and at last miracle of miracles ~ after months and months

I feel I have woken up from the longest  hibernation, 

I have energy again, which in turn means I can do things again, yay!

A huge change from a just a few short weeks ago.

I was exhausted by the slightest of things, all i felt i could manage was

to read, pottet in the quiet garden, look at loveliness on Pinterest

and sleep on and on and on lol

Who would have thought it had so much to do with diet! 

Celtic connections, an album & a logo

I am so excited to be able to share with you at long last
a project I was working on back in Summer 2011.

About that time, Mr O (my musician) was recording a 2nd album
of traditional Celtic music at Unit7 studios, Bladnoch,
with his sister, renowned composer & fiddle player, Marie Fielding
and their long time friend, accordionist Duncan Black.

 I was asked to design the logo for the label Rumford Records.

Marie wanted a celtic feel for her newly set up record label,

from the many designs I produced, and I did get a little carried away,

the design below was the final one chosen and used.

I also had the fun task of taking cover shots for the album.
At the end of a long & tiring session in the studio,
these 3 inspiring musicians caused endless laughter
as we tried out different poses outside the cottage.

 and finally after all their hard work, the headaches & the smiles
I am pleased to present the end product
Tribute's 2nd album.

For more information Rumford Records has a facebook page here
the album itself is for sale over on Maries own website here.

Owen also has his own reverbnation page  here 

 & facebook musicians page here.

All in all a fun project to be involved in

& fascinating to see the creative process of an idea coming to fruition.

waiting & watching in the bluebell woods

 Step by step through the bluebell woods,

from the beginning of March we trod the same path

watching & waiting for Mother Nature to do her magic,

little by little, step by step, so that an eye could hardly tell

 untill this last week, week 8 . . . here they are,  the bluebells! 

I wish you could walk with us, the air is sweet with their scent

and the colours & hues are just beautiful.

Others over the years must have waited to for this wonderful display

but maybe for very different reasons.

* During the bronze age bluebell sap was used to glue feathers to arrows for hunting.

* The sap of the bluebell was used, in days gone by, to bind the pages of books.

* The bulbs were crushed in the  Elizabethan age to make starch for cuffs & collars.

* It is thought that the ring of the bluebell is a call to the faeries, 

so do keep to the path through them unless you want to make the fae cross ;-).

Have a wonderful weekend one and all x