Pagan Artist's Network

Yule and 2012

2011-12-19T00:41:00.000Z

Best Wishes for Yule and 2012

Elen of the ways, whose her Reindeer antlers injects a well known element in the Christmas theme, also has red her and a green cape, two 'traditional colours' for this season . Thereafter things are pagan, the low winter sun out at sea will from now on until the next solstice produce longer days in the reign of the Oak king. Such are the inspirations behind my seasonal e card for this year, drawn from the parent painting 'Elen of the ways, the Antlered Goddess' and I do indeed wish all our members a merry Yule/Christmas/Midwinter and all the best in 2012!

...and so it's December

2011-12-07T15:22:00.001Z

December has arrived, with it the white snow of Holda comes, and a new round of natural selection will come too, so it is. The Holly King will give way to the Oak King at the Solstice, that shortest day of the year is the Sabbat Yule, and the cycle goes on. Pagans will celebrate the full moon, this one known to many as 'Long nights moon' and the evergreen conifers will decorate homes as the Yule tree where the yule logs burn.

And so it's October............

2011-10-04T22:59:00.005+01:00

This time of year always brings me such deep joy.

The colors, the smells, the revelry and of course the magick.

October is the time of so many opportunities to share our vision of both; the fun and fantasy as well as the spiritual and mystical.

I hope you will share your thoughts, art and point of view here at PAN.

October Blessings, Oma Linda

My Pagan Jewellery store

2011-09-13T22:19:00.003+01:00

My Pagan Jewellery
My Pagan Jewellery (or Jewelry)site has become possible because of new software facilities on CafePress, my approach to creating affordable Pagan Jewellery has been to apply my own artwork to what is mostly aluminium pendants and earrings, some of it is only loosely associated with Paganism but mostly it will appeal to Wiccans and Witches with some unusual Pentacles or Pentagrams, mythical animals and Witch paintings. All this Jewellery is illustrated, plain silver or gold doesn't exist on it. It's been a great creative outlet too!
I've since added some items that may appeal to Shamans, Druids and Beachcomber's also

Lughnasadh Blessings

2011-08-03T14:34:00.000+01:00

A very Merry (bit belated) Lughnasadh, my friends! May your blessings be many and the harvest's bounties be great, whatever the seeds you've sewn.

The Golden Child

2011-06-28T10:54:00.002+01:00

...I was in a long line that had no beginning and no end...I saw behind me those who had gone, and before me those who were to come...I looked back and saw my mother, and her mother, and all our mothers, and infront to see my daughter, and her daughter, and the daughters upon daughters beyond....and their eyes were my eyes.....

( inspired by Richard Llewellyn's 'How Green was my Valley' )

Merry Midsummer Solstice Everyone!

2011-06-21T11:24:00.002+01:00

Do you believe in ghosts?

2011-05-19T09:24:00.001+01:00

Hello everyone...:o)
I thought you might like to see a painting I did a few months ago for my MIL...
And hear about the strange reason for painting it in the first place...(not that I'm being all dramatic ;o) )

Last year my husband (The Troll) 's grandmother 'Cissy' who died in 1994 kept 'visiting' me...not in the ghostly sense...but in the 'keeps-popping-into-your-head' sense...she just would not leave, she was there all of the time...I couldn't stop thinking about her...
Now I never knew Cissy very well, we only met a few times but she was a lovely lady, with so much life in her and a wonderful past to share if anyone wanted to hear...and The Troll was very close to her and spent all of his holidays and weekends at her home when he was young...
We were the last people who saw her alive, which has not gone down well with the MIL :o(
We visited Cissy and Charlie, her husband, a couple of days before she died unexpectedly and I had a feeling when she looked at us driving away that she was going to die...she seemed strange...
MIL (Lee) says that if I had told her that I thought her mother was going to die she would have rushed down to Gloucester (yes the home of Dr Foster ) to be with her...which says a lot for my 'premonitions' really, but I felt bad telling her...I don't think she will ever forgive us for being the last ones to see her mother alive...

So...back to the painting...I don't do portraits it's not really my thing...but Cissy just wouldn't go away...it was as though she was telling me to paint her...I have a few photographs of Cissy as an old lady but they weren't right for the painting...I have one very old photo of her as a young woman and this seemed to be the right one...so I started to paint her, not exactly as she was in the photo as she wasn't smiling...but as she is here...
Cissy was by my side as I began...and she stayed with me throughout the painting process...sometimes correcting me by gently pushing me on...then one day...Cissy was gone...just like that...she had left...
The Troll was away while I painted his Grandmother so it was a surprise for him to see her...I'm not really sure how he felt about seeing her after so long but I think he liked her...
If it had been left to me, I would have refined the picture more and corrected some mistakes...but when Cissy left me, I thought I should stop painting...so this is how it was then...without my usual fiddling!
I know that Cissy wanted me to create this picture for her daughter Lee (MIL) so I wrote a letter to her explaining why it was created and that Cissy wanted her to have it and that I had no idea why...and also that Cissy seemed happy...then The Troll took the painting when he visited the family (on a detour from a work trip) and gave it to his mum...I just hoped that the whole thing didn't upset her or drag nasty things into the present for her!
She wrote back to say that she had been visiting a 'Spiritualist Church' locally and had been trying to contact Cissy for a long time...with some slight success...and that she felt her mother had come (through me) to tell her the answer to something she had been worried about (I don't know what)...and that it was a lovely spiritual gift and she was very happy with it...
Which was a relief! :o)
So...that's the story behind my 'Spirit Painting'...I'm not sure if I enjoyed the experience but I do wonder if anyone else will 'come through the veil' and ask for a portrait...I wouldn't mind doing Marc Bolan...but that's another story...;o)
Bye for now...back to the sick room for me...

Here we go gathering Knots of May...

2011-05-04T11:54:00.004+01:00

Hello everyone...how've you all been?
I wanted to show off this lovely piece ages ago but I'm so far behind with everything!
Never mind...better late than never eh?

This glass work is made by the wonderfully talented Amanda who makes stained glass and also jewellery which all have a pagan twist and can be viewed on her website Amandala

This is what Amanda has to say about this piece...
'This goddess is based on the St Ives Shelagh na Gigs which unfortunately is now lost. She is maybe in some private collection or residing in a garden somewhere.'

I thought showing this to you all would make up for me being absent for Beltane (Long story :o( )
So...what more can I say...she's just beautiful!

Oh yes...hope you all enjoyed bringing in the May....wink wink :o)

The Yellowhammer Reclaimed

2011-04-23T20:26:00.003+01:00

The Yellowhammer Reclaimed

I had trouble deciding whether to put this in the Pagan or Modern section of my website! In the end I chose the latter, the above picture links to it. This is a painting with a mission, in the past in Scotland, and the area around Prague this Small bird, of the Bunting family was called what it was believed to be, the Devils bird! It would be killed and it's nests destroyed when found by the ignorant of which there was no short supply in centuries past. As with all my modern avian paintings I have used the topic birds own colours, as the inverted pentagram, stolen from Wicca where it has it's own purpose, is the favoured symbol of Satanism, the upright Pentagram has been placed over the painting. No...the Yellowhammer is not the property of what I for one think is a non existent demon! Call it eccentric and I won't argue, I still had to paint it, and got up in the night to do that!

Ancient's knew how to laugh...

2011-04-01T19:11:00.004+01:00

Recently...Seawitch...aka George...totally ruined this beautiful picture for me...thanks George!...And the reason?

Think LOL (first and last time I will ever do that silly speak!)

So as it's THAT day...thought it might make you laugh :o)

Seawitch's lovely pictures can be viewed at his website here

Here's what George has to say about his picture...(before he ruined it for everyone! ;o)

Raven at the Men-an-Tol

The Men-an-Tol is one of Britain's smallest Megalithic standing stone sites, but also one of the best known, set in the bleak Cornish landscape it's origins are uncertain, but it was probably an Iron age tomb of around 4,000 years ago, recent research shows it is also part of a stone circle..
The name Men-an-Tol is Cornish language for 'Holed Stone', it has in the past been also known as the 'Devil's eye', and 'Crick stone' because of it's reputation for curing backache.
Children with Rickets and Tuberculosis were for for centuries passed through it's hole three times naked and then through the grass three times anti-clockwise, or Widdershins.
Some quarters say the place protects from witchcraft yet many visitors are Witches and Wiccans.

Have you tried it in a different style?

2011-04-01T08:00:00.006+01:00

Added after comments from concerned friends ;o)
*

Oberon's Wood said...: Ah...seems like I didn't explain myself very well here!
It isn't that we are going to change our blogs in any way!!!
It's just another way to view EVERYONE's blogs...the blogs are the same...you can just add the view modes at the end of the blog address and it will show you another view...it doesn't change the actual blog...thankfully! :o)
And I totally agree with you I love black as a background to art...
And if I had to update things just to see a blog I would leave!
Thanks for the opinions though sweet peas :o)
But I'm not going to change the blogs in any way...so don't worry :o)

Why not have a go and see what your own blog looks like in one of the modes?
I'm not trying to promote Blogger ;o) I'm just open to different ways of seeing our Art :o)

Now here's the original post...

Hi everyone :o)
I was wondering if any of you have tried the new blogger idea of viewing blogs in a different way?
I've just tried it with this blog and it isn't too bad...
I think it needs to have more choice in the colours though...I'm not a big fan of 'white' but it does show the pretty pictures nicely and that has to be good for 'Arty blogs'

If you are all thinking that I have spring fever...click on these links to see if it works for you...
although they say it only works if you have 'updated' stuff on your 'puter...well my old girl is a great hulk of a machine and she manages...so it must be possible for us 'deprived ones ;o)
Here's the links...let me know how it looks at your end...if you pardon my wording ;o)
http://paganartists.blogspot.com/view/snapshot#!/
http://paganartists.blogspot.com/view/flipcard#!/
http://paganartists.blogspot.com/view/mosaic#!/
http://paganartists.blogspot.com/view/sidebar#!/
http://paganartists.blogspot.com/view/timeslide#!/

I know there are a lot of them...some not so great...but at least it looks like our blogs will be moving with the times ;o)

I'll be back later with something pretty to look at...just thought it would be better to try this without anything to drool over ;o)...
Bye my pretties :o)

Pagan Art Journaling

2011-03-28T18:30:00.000+01:00

If you haven't, I suggest you hop on over to Aradia's Cauldron and take a peek at the 52 Weeks of Pagan Art Journaling project.

I started off strong, journaling each week's theme as it was announced, but have since fallen a bit behind due to my recent move. I'm looking forward to catching back up! Here are a peek at some of my pages and their themes, click on the images to view them larger at Flickr:

Intention

Love

Believe

A Letter to Yourself in Five Years

All pages were done with watercolor and ink over an acrylic base inside of an old book titled The Death of a Nobody. Seemed fitting!

So far, it's been a very enriching process; to sit down and think about what each prompt means to me and then let go and let my pencil/brush create the page. It's been sort of meditative for me.

It isn't too late to jump on board; even if you don't fancy yourself to be an 'artist' or 'someone who can draw' you can still give it a shot!

Happy Spring Equinox Everyone!

2011-03-20T10:28:00.005Z

I could not resist using Seawitch's beautiful picture so I've 'borrowed' it from Facebook...hope you don't mind George!
If you would like to see more of this extremely talented artist's work then pop over to his website where you can see his collection of work.

And while I'm here (after finally getting my old 'puter back!)
I want to wish everyone a very Happy Eostra (or if you prefer Ostara ;o) )
And as usual...to mark the new season...it's raining here :o(
Some things never change...

Something from the past

2011-03-17T02:33:00.007Z

Reflections of a Chinese Temple

I recently visited a friend of many years and took the opportunity to photograph a painting he got from me, from the time before I even considered getting a computer. It's and acrylic on wood, about a yard long,of a Chinese Ming dynasty temple reflected in a lake. Inspired by a photo in a Spanish language magazine about China given to me by a Red Guard called Lui (I think) when my ship was in Tsing Tao in 1979. I felt I had met up with a long lost friend, the painting I mean, not the red guard!

Oma Linda is hosting a Celebrate Oz blog party March 19

2011-03-09T16:32:00.000Z

Come and Join LindaOma's Olde Baggs n Stuft Shirts in the fun of Celebrating all things Wizard of OZ on March 19, 2011.

What you need to do: come to Olde Baggs blog and sign up in the comment section to Celebrate OZ.

- grab the button of the Baby Wicked and Good Witch of OZ, post it on your blog. Start spreading the news and tell others that you are participating in the fun

- be ready on March 19 when folks start coming to your blog to show what you have to offer to Celebrate OZ.

And that offering can be just about anything from a crafted item, collectibles, a tablescape, decorating a space, telling your favorite selection from the movie, the play, the books, or why you love/hate Wizard of OZ in any one of it's incarnations etc.

Anything goes and your imagination will be your guide. Remember, the only rule I ever have is "Nice Matters".

- registration to participate will be open until the event starts but closes that day.

Now fire up your bikes with a basket for Toto, get Auntie Em's thoughts, put on your witch's thinking hat, call up your favorite munchkin for inspiration or book that date with your best pals the scarecrow, lion and tinman. Get ready, get set and......join in.

This yellow brick road will lead us, you and I, to fun, sharing and my very first attempt at hosting a blog party
Celebrate OZ.

And if you have questions.....just contact me.

Pan is such a softie really

2011-03-04T09:09:00.007Z

PAN member Nydia makes lovely little creations from fabrics...in every colour you can imagine...so many, that it was hard for me to choose just one to show here...
In the end I decided to go with the title instead of the colour so meet 'Pan'
Couldn't resist him...he's just so cute!
If you would like to meet Nydia she has a blog which tells her full story of being a Brazilian Wiccan Mom and her Etsy shop Carioca Witch
If you need a good flash of colour to get you all in the mood for Spring...I can't think of a brighter place :o)

Ama's Red Kite

2011-02-28T13:51:00.004Z

This gorgeous Red Kite has been created by PAN member Ama...isn't she beautiful?
She is made from bronze resin which I think is the perfect colour for such a lovely bird of prey.
They are quite a rare bird now...sadly...due to man...makes me ashamed...
If you would like to see more of Ama's work...take a visit to her website here
There are lots of yummy things to see there from animals to Goddesses...what more could you want?

And if you would like to know more about the Red Kite click here
There's lots of information on this site which is dedicated to them :o)

Spiral Dance of the Goddess

2011-02-20T14:03:00.004Z

This gorgeous Spiral Goddess is by PAN member Dawn, it is part of her"Gods & Goddesses" Collection.
Dawn makes all manner of delights from clays and wood and each piece is given her own twist.
In this work I find the curves quite hypnotic and compelling...taking your eyes around the form in a beautiful spiral dance...:o)
If you would like to see more of Dawn's creations she has a blog and also an Etsy store, both are well worth a visit...after all...where else can you get to dance with the Goddess?

Art vs. Words?

2011-02-15T14:03:00.003Z

I thought it might be nice to introduce our youngest PAN member Jon.
Jon is a writer who sees the words he produces as his Art of Choice...recently though he has been making visual art...although if you read his blog about creating these art works it might strike a chord with you...do pop over to his blog. if you have a love/hate relationship with art..he certainly does have a way with words...

Faery Party at Danni's House

2011-02-08T11:41:00.002Z

I've nicked Danni's link for this...and I'm late with posting about it...but there is still lots more to see...so go on...shoo over there...:o)

Imbolg

2011-01-31T11:44:00.007Z

Well it's almost here!
For everyone celebrating Imbolg...have a lovely time!
I thought Gemma's lovely picture depicts Imbolg and everything about it so well, I wanted to share it with you here...I do hope that Gemma doesn't mind me 'having' to blur her picture a little...it's either that or we have to go all 'adult' on blogger and that just seems daft :o(
Still...I bet there are a few out there that would love to see any pagan site closed down...so better to not give them the ammunition ;o)
As the picture says it all...there is not much point in me 'spelling it all out' to you...so I'll leave it up to you to find the interpretation you wish...
Bye for now everyone...go enjoy the festival :o)

Who's in the mood for love?

2011-01-28T16:13:00.006Z

Hello everyone...I'm a little late this week!
As we have almost reached February I thought it would be nice to show that some of our PAN members have a romantic side...not me of course...miserable old elf me ;O)
So I thought we could have a peek at Linda's little hearts...she acts all grumpy, but we all know she's a hopeless romantic at heart (sorry for the pun)!
Linda makes all sorts of art with her Grandchildren too and out of this fun she lets her imagination go wild...as you can see from her ecclectic little creations.
You can see more of Linda's work in her Etsy shop here
Bye for now my little romantics...
Have a lovely weekend...

Merlin...

2011-01-19T15:09:00.005Z

Hello everyone, are you all enjoying that small glow of sunshine peeping through the mist?
(Well that's what it's like here anyway...)

The beautiful picture shown above is by one of our new members Celine and it is just so lovely and green that I thought it would brighten up all of those still feeling the winter blues...
It's titled 'Merlin in Broceliande'.
I like the way Celine has blended the elements together to create this picture...makes me want to take a walk in the woods...maybe I'll meet up with Merlin?
Now that would be an intresting meeting...
Why isn't there a wizard about when I have my camera...?
If you would like to take a peek at more of Celine's work...it can be found here it is in French...but that shouldn't prevent you from peeking :o)
See you soon...

La Belle Dame Sans Merci

2011-01-12T10:50:00.005Z

Hello everyone...
Well as this year is dragging a little...can you feel it?
I thought we should kick off the dreariness of the old year by starting a new theme for the PAN blog...
From now on...(hopefully) on a regular basis...I will 'show off' a selection of our very talented members' art work...and to begin with 'In the red dress'...we have 'La Belle Dame Sans Merci' by Eileen...who's work can also be found here
What a lovely start to the year...I feel much warmer now!
See you again soon...
Bye for now...

A very Pagan youtube...

2010-11-27T16:11:00.002Z

I've used my art and some photographs both by myself and friends to create a theme to go with a very Pagan song.....sit back ad enjoy!

My youtube channel is new and I'm sure will always be very small as I want to put a lot of work into each one that will in turn have a reason for being there.

Elen of the ways painting

2010-10-18T20:11:00.009+01:00

Elen of the ways, the antlered Goddess.

The latest addition to my websites Pagan page is this 3ft x 2ft acrlic on canvas of Elen of the ways. ( not Ellen of the ways )Elen is the antlered goddess, guardian of ancient trackways and ley lines. She is, so far as I know, the only horned goddess. Her most ancient tracks are the migratory paths of the Reindeer, whose females are the only female Deer to bear antlers, there is the connection. I have chosen Lands end in Cornwall as a place at the western edge of the world which reveres her, it extends across to Mongolia. The setting gives opportunity to portray her at rest before beginning her journeys anew, also to paint arocky landscape and the ocean, I love both. I would be a bit of liar if I didn't mention it's a chance to duck out of painting a face in such small size, that is atask where paintings like this can be ruined. But it also lends mystery to the subject.
I took some months painting this, it's for someone special and never went on public sale. The Choughs, Britains rarest crow is also Cornwalls own national bird it was such a bird that King Arthur is said to have turned into rather than really die. The addition of these birds gives me achance to add valuable non pagan keywords to the text on my site, I cannot afford to depend on the Pagan world alone...it's a poor one!

My Little Faery Friend Daisy...

2010-09-23T09:14:00.000+01:00

Sometimes...from the peripheral vision...you get fleeting glimpses of movement...
Many folks pass this off as a trick of the eyes...
Some just think that the imagination is playing tricks on them...
Some just like to lay on the dewy grass and watch the world go by before their very eyes...

It is now officially Autumn...season of mists and mellow fruitfulness...
So why are my little Fae friends still playing in the grass with no vests to keep the chills out?
I have no answer to that one...
As you can see...some of my little ones still hold fast to the notion of freedom without inhibitions...I suppose if you are a Fae then you can get away with it...unlike us giant folks the human beans.

Let me introduce you to Daisy...a pretty little thing...not at all shy...having a morning stretch in the Autumn sunshine...I don't know how she managed to find daisies still in flower though...but let's just call it Artistic License...

She said it was okay to paint her but only from the back...
I'm happy to do that though...it saves having to edit over body parts to be able to post my pictures on here...some folks you see are a little worried about seeing naked things on blogs and I might get into trouble...(although that doesn't usually stop me he he )

Daisy as you may have noticed doesn't have wings...she can fly without them...so I suppose evolution had a hand in that somewhere...much like us.

Well...I just thought that Daisy and I should wish everyone a beautiful Autumnal Equinox...that wondrous time where the world is equal and night and day are even...
If, as you take a lovely Autumnal walk... kicking through the fallen leaves...you happen to see Daisy...introduce yourself to her...she's a real sweetie...she always smells of blossomy mist...and she would be so pleased to know that you caught a glimpse of her...out of your peripheral vision...

Rhiannon

2010-09-17T13:21:00.002+01:00

I started this painting a few weeks ago before the infliction of my most recent spate of illness and finally, I finished her. It wasn't until last night when I did so that I discovered her name, Rhiannon.

Astronomer's Table

2010-09-10T15:03:00.000+01:00

What is it about the stars that makes us feel the need to understand them?
Why did those people (men mostly) many centuries ago want to learn about them and plot their positions on their charts?
Why do the planets fascinate us so much...as they travel along their path around the sun?

I have no real understanding of these things...
But they still fascinate me...

And there could not be one amongst us who has not gazed out at the Bat black night sky and wondered...
Some of the things we see up there...may have expired long ago...gone out in a glorious blaze of glory...which may never have been witnessed by a human being...
Some stars...by the time we see them twinkling...are already long gone...

It makes the things down here on this small blue planet of ours seem very insignificant...
That a star so bright could be gone without being wished upon...

So...for those of you with a little magick in your souls...
If you get the chance... step out into the beautiful darkness and look upon the vastness of the night sky...
Hold up your heads and stretch out your arms as wide as you can...and wish upon the first star that you see...
And remember...it came a long way to see you...

To Art or not to Art that is the question.

2010-09-09T19:02:00.006+01:00

Many years ago, in my youth and I might add in my own case confusion, I thought ART was only the disciplines. You know sculpture, painting, writing, etc. I had no idea that life (and a couple of thousand years) would give me a totally different perspective and outlook.

I just love the Eden story but check out the other symbolism

I have a dear friend also an ex art teacher, older than I by a few decades, that's hard to fathom, who is really Old School when it comes to ART. We go to galleries and festivals and gatherings together and she is ever more critical of what is "allowed in" at showings. I on the other hand am comforted by the thought that maybe the snottiness of the ART crowd is mellowing some.

the stones are onyx, the work is from Taxco in it's heyday

Now don't get me wrong, I will not ever say that the mass produced vs one of a kind is totally artistic but I will not ever say that the initial product isn't ART. There's the rub. Can't you just see, say Monet hawking his paintings and prints of paintings in the same venue? Hmmmmmmmm. but then we aren't in the benefactor era any longer either. It is my privilege and honor to associate myself with artists, be they pagan or otherwise and share ups, downs, thoughts, hopes, and mistakes (for them, not so much for me, oh hell yes) and continue to learn from them. I do this on the computer, at the gallery, at a showing, at home with my grands and in my quiet time (if I can catch some) I am blessed by the encounters.

the women are @ 6" tall, this is exquisite

That is what this aged like a fine wine (which is also an art) old broad has learned along the way. Don't close your possibilities down by preconceived notions of what ART is. And don't let anyone else judge what you do as not being artistic. There's enough of that pile of stuff in other arenas of life. Be free, be productive, be authentic.

this is carved wood, incredible work

And while you're at it, come and see what Pagan Art Network has to offer. We'd welcome your visit.

All the photos in this posting were at the Santa Fe International Folk Art Museum.

Strength in Solitude

2010-09-06T15:27:00.002+01:00

I painted this picture a few months ago but you all know how we get with our work...I was never really happy with it...so I hid it away from my vision...in the hope that it would look better tomorrow...

I'm not sure it ever will look better to me...
I don't think that I will ever be happy with a painting...

We all go through this...I know that my fellow PAN members feel this way at times...
But I thought that I would show it on the blog anyway...as a kind of cathartic exercise...
I need to let go of my negative feelings towards my art...
I need to just create and not be so sorry that I am not, and never will be, an "Old Master"...

Sometimes we forget this...we put undue pressure on ourselves to be something we are not...not just in our art but in our lives also...

The painting is called "Strength in Solitude"...it is painted with acrylics on 18 x14" canvas...just in case you were wondering :0)

There now...I'm feeling my burden lighten a little already...

When things go wrong...

2010-08-21T16:14:00.002+01:00

Is there anything worse for an artist to be approaching the end of a large and promising work, only to realise theres been mistakes and the pursuit of correction has made matters worse...real or imagined, this is where the issue of a painting becoming overworked can occur.

Sometimes it helps to stop, and get a new canvas...plenty of older abstracts have abandoned fine art below them and I've got a few of those myself...it saves the canvas itself.

Point is, I'm feeling very depressed just now, but I won't be doing any Van Gogh stunts....things just aren't bad enough!

A trip to the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico

2010-08-10T03:05:00.000+01:00

I saw the most amazing collection of folk art entitled "Empowering Woman", Artisan Cooperatives that Transform Communities. Each has a different motivation: preserving a dying heritage, sustaining the environment, providing a safe haven from violence. But like we in the pagan art community, art binds them together.

I took photos of only a few of the exhibits but each is so powerful and the motivation for the cooperatives so compeling. South Africa, Manula Embroidery project which benefits peoples within South Africa suffering from Aids.

India, skilled home based embroidery and textile artisans have formed a Self Employed Womans Assoc which allows these woman to raise their own children and not leave them to others to raise and go to find work away from home.

Fighting for the life of the garabata fino plant, the Ayorea woman of Boliva weave fiber bags to sell to international markets. They have now developed new ways to cultivate similar plants and so save the original garabata plant for further generations of weavers.

Woven buttons are a beginning source of money for a fledgling project in Morocco. Without capital these women realized they would have not say in their lives or the lives of their daughters and so began the Golden Buttons Coop of Sefrou.

The beginning of the Umaja Uaso Womans Group in Kenya was not about art. It was about survival. These beginning 16 women were refugees and victims of violent crimes. The women of Umaja which means unity, sell their tribal beaded jewelry to provide income for the survival of all the women in this unique village.

The last story is the most touching and is from Rwanda. One woman Ephigenia lost 65 members of her family in 1994. Rwandan Hutus murdered some one million Tutsis. In order to survive Ephigenia worked side by side with her family's killers wife in south Province. All of these woman were left homeless, husband and childless from the violence. They banded together, shared their talents, and used it as the balm that restored their shattered lives. "Art heals the hopeless soul", says Ephigenia.

May it be so for all of us. Blessings on the New Moon.

The Dark Moon Full

2010-07-30T02:48:00.006+01:00

The Dark moon Full

Crowds wait, wishing clouds away
still stands the Sun god, he waits this day it seems
on she comes, unseen this day, unseen last night
on she comes and still they wait.
Anticipation below, her God she touches, contact made from afar.
Two passing equals, skeptics preach, few want to hear,
for on she comes, the faithful wait.
The Sun god calms, creatures of the night stir, creatures of the day retire,
a canine howl gets a cheer, on she comes.
The Sun god darkens, as he receives his Bride, the Diamond ring flares,
gasps below in the dark of the umbra, silence as the Corona bursts
the Sun god tamed by her equality, divine union made.
God and Goddess in the sky, perfect harmony
symbolism displayed for us in OUR time.
On she goes, here he comes.
We are reminded.

Painting 'Divine Union' by Seawitch

The art of suffering, sharing your talents and surrounding yourself with like minds

2010-07-12T01:15:00.000+01:00

I always loved the back stories to the fine artists in my Art Appreciation classes in college. The really great impressionist artist always had such tragedy and angst behind the works they created. So many also flocked together to argue style, technique, subject matter. These artists also congregated to share the spirit of art. They shared the ups and downs of life and their struggles and victories in their art.

I live in New Mexico and there are so many rich stories of the Georgia O'Keefe era artists in their enclaves of creativity. That spirit of togetherness, competition, and commonality is like a tapestry embroidered by discoveries and observations of each of the artist's works.

Now, I am going to include myself in the general term of an artist, although I would consider myself more of a craftsperson, when I say that this venue.....the blogging world has afforded US the very self same comaradery of sharing our talents, trials, tribulations of technique, skill, courage if you will. I find PAN just such a place.

Many different personalities, talents, styles, techniques, interests but one mind of being an artist and being able to be free to express our Pagan views in our art and in our discussions. Thank you all for following this blog, for being members of PAN, for sharing part of your story through the written word, photography, painting, journaling, needlework, sculpture and of course your pagan hearts. Blessings, The Olde Bagg

Summer Solstice and Stonehenge in Red

2010-06-20T11:38:00.006+01:00

'Stonehenge in Red'

It's that time of the year again, the longest day sometimes known by the rather modern name of Litha.

The event at Stonehenge is surely the biggest gathering of all in association with it. The best place to be is within the circle, a hard place to get to and I'm sure it helps to be a Druid.

The Druids didn't build Stonehenge as many think, the stones pre-date them by a long way, they merely took what was there and put it to use, and why not.

Tens of thousands gather there in hope of the perfect sunrise and spiritual experience.

I myself have always avoided this, having been to the 'traditional gathering' at Trafalgar Square on new years eve a couple of times, I think it's nice to avoid risking a wet night of noise , impossible crowds, no loos and things only the modern age could bring, like mechanical drumming devices and baton charges.

I have done four paintings of Stonehenge...all are on my Pagan page here , two were requests.

The painting I show here, Stonehenge in Red 2 was destroyed in the post on it's way to west coast USA, it lives on in however. I chose to paint the peace of a day AFTER the solstice, when the crowds are gone, the litter cleared....I will be thinking of those in the crowds when I celebrate with friends elsewhere! Have a pleasant Summer Solstice!

Litha...or...Waiting for the day to begin...

2010-06-15T11:20:00.003+01:00

Well...here she is...finished...maybe...
You can read a bit more about my little Fae on my art blog

Strange how she decided to become a Midsummer Faery...
I thought she was going to be waiting for a secret lover perhaps...
Seems she had more important things on her mind...
Although...maybe she's waiting for both!

She's painted in watercolours on A4 paper...from the nude study posted here
I managed to fit her feet in on the scanner this time...:o)

Are you all getting ready for the Solstice?

Water, the source

2010-06-09T17:24:00.000+01:00

I took this photo announcement from another wonderful caring pagan Hannah at http://thediviningwomen.blogspot.com/2010/06/will-you-find-your-way-to-water.html and have chosen to pass it along to you.

I know that all of you are aware of the crisis in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of the US. If you are anything like me, it disgusts you that greed has once again spit in the face of nature. That millions of beings are being impacted by the loss of habitat and pollution of the source to each of us.....the water. Not just the waters off of the US but the world.

The world became very upset when the volcano in Iceland was interfering with air travel, each of us was impacted by that ash in one form or another...each person on earth. Well, the same is true of the oil...it will effect each of us to a lesser or greater degree. WE are all in this together and as pagans we are centered on the core and source. Mother Earth is in need of us.

Out there in bloglandia, there is a grassroots event planned for the New Moon, June 12th. We are asking that all join in and place your hands into water, be it in a bowl, basin, stream, river, pond, or if you are lucky enough the ocean and join so many others who will pray, meditate, intention, cast and just give a damn about healing the water. The power of focused energies is upon us and is urgently needed. Please take this opportunity to help Mother.

Getting what you paint for...weather working or sods law?

2010-06-08T03:23:00.003+01:00

Hi all

For years on end I've had this knack ( magickal skill?) of getting the weather I'm painting, especially it seems if I've got the hump about something too...I've always felt your mood can boost magick that suits.

During August 2004 I was painting the 'Thunderbird Invoked'...we had the wettest August in Britain since records began 600 years earlier.

To celebrate I painted the tiny original version of 'Flooded Field'....

This past few days I've been painting a stormy sky and last night I was driven to anger by persistent noise all night from Blackbirds....now we have a soaking wet night in London, my apologies to those who don't like that, but weather working and Sea Witches are hard to pull apart!

2010-06-06T09:17:00.004+01:00

Hello all! I'm new here so I thought I'd write one of those boring 'introducing myself' posts. So, here's the low-down:

My name is Gemma - its lovely to meet you all. I'm 28 years old and I live in Sweden. I'm a Wiccan and have been for nearly a decade. I'm also a Pagan and I've been one now for over two decades. Most of my painting is informed by my love of Paganism and Nature and I work in Watercolours and Acrylics - although I'm thinking of giving Oils a go to enable me to blend better.

At the moment I'm working on a series of paintings inspired by the Western Zodiac. I'm only in the sketching stage at the moment and I'm going to do several proofs of concept before I put brush to canvas. Hopefully they'll turn out ok. It should take me about 3 months to get them done... or so I tell myself!

BB, Hugs, Health and Happiness,
Gemma

2010-06-03T20:54:00.003+01:00

The Elements Quadtych

This is the latest in a growing line of Elemental Quadtych's I've painted, the original set was requested by my Coven High Priestess as a decoration for the Covenstead...it was her idea and a good one too!

Google any element individually and it is probably one of my paintings that is top result on google images, they are well known now.

This set differs from it's predecessors though, still acrylics on canvas, they are however rather smaller at just 5 x 7 inches each.

Also, I've dropped the practice of making sharp exact elemental symbols like here.... Fire painting.. and allowed a laid back and obviously free hand style to be applied to the symbols, why not?

For the first time I have something on here for sale, they are £70.00 or whatever that is in dollars...read about them here too... http://seawitchartist-sales.blogspot.com/

They could be hung together, or in their own corners...and come down to decorate that magick circle when you do ritual!

Angels at the ready

2010-05-31T02:53:00.000+01:00

I read not long ago in an old book that I found in a thrift store, a wonderment statement for me. In the margin it read, "we are each of us angels with only one wing, there to help each other to move towards their goal".

Without one another to foster our artistic talent, oh we can do it, whatever that it is, but how much sweeter the success when shared with another angel/artist.

We here at Pagan Artist's Network serve that purpose for each other. We are flapping our way along, holding each other up and reaching for our goals. Some members are fine artists, others like myself are dabbling and enjoying it. Won't you come and join us on our journey to ...................? Can we help you flap alittle easier with encouragement and comradery?

I am but one of the group but we all invite you to flap along with us.

Mother Moon

2010-05-27T14:01:00.005+01:00

Sometimes it's just nice to gaze at the beautiful full moon...
Sometimes I like to work more abstract...
Sometimes I do both...
Have a beautiful full moon :0)

Attack Of The Field Mice

2010-05-11T09:03:00.006+01:00

I was having a clear up of some old work the other day...(we have a nest of field mice moved in and they are eating my work again)...and saw some of my earlier stuff...and as with all of us it seems I had managed yet again to ignore my UFO's (Un-finished Objects).
Oh yes...they call to me...but I just stroll past without a care in the world...
See how easy it is to neglect art?
It may feed our souls...and nourish our hearts...
But we sure can starve it when we want to!

So...being fully aware of my neglect...
I saw some life studies done with charcoal (which I love using...very messy)...and thought that they would make lovely faeries...their poses seem to suit the subject.
The sketches are on A3 paper and my scanner chopped bits of them off...but you can still see the main parts of them...

So...now comes the hard bit...
I have the idea for the pose...
I have the model...
I have the materials (clay or paper...or both)
So what's keeping me from doing the thing that most fires my spirit?

I'll tell you now truthfully...
I have made a career out of "Putting Off"...
I am now a Professional Putter Offer...

But...as you are all my witnesses in this horrible life of crime which I have led myself into...
I am coming clean and purging myself ready for this new life of diligence...
I am really going to try to get my finger out of the dyke and FINISH some of these tasks I have set myself...
I know we are pretty much the same...we all do this...it seems to be an Art thing...
So...you will understand if I falter...
And I give you all permission to kick, prod, poke, or whatever it takes to get me to keep my finger out...
Although...
The sun is very sunny...
And the wood is very inviting today...
Mmm...maybe tomorrow would be a good time to start...;0)

In case anyone was concerned for the field mice...we use humane traps and set them free down the bottom fields...away from the house...they still manage to find a way back though...

Life, the excuse or muse

2010-05-09T03:47:00.000+01:00

When approaching a deadline for a project or a commission I am an Aries to the inth degree. I find every reason to put my head against the deadline and push as hard as I can to make it move further away....to no avail, I should add.

I start way too many "new" projects and let the old ones hang around and haunt me, taunt and insult me.

I love every bit of what I do and yet find every excuse in the book and obstacle to place in my path. Other arty friends are at it all the time. Head down, producing and finishing and I am thinking, yeah that's what I should do, but well I'm like the dog Doug in the movie UP......"squirrel" says I and run in another direction.

Now that's not to say I'm not working on crafty things.....with the grandkids.....and teaching others techniques and cleaning up the ensuing messes but really getting down to what I do....well let's just say, it's been awhile. Portrait & Pet photography, silk painting and pottery all have escaped my grasp. But they have been replaced for lack of a better term by Altered mixed media play. Fantasy sculptures. Paper art.

I asked my colleagues (sp) here at PAN if I could take the 9th of every month as my time to post. The reason is because 9 is my lucky life number. Here are some of the career choices that might suit you particularly well if the number 9 is predominant in your chart:
Designer, photographer, politician, lawyer, teacher, healer, statesperson, writer, philosopher, artist.

And more importantly posting on the 9th of every month....I wouldn't forget or put off or excuse or muse on this date. Baby steps people, baby steps. How about you? Is life your muse or your excuse?

The Sea Witch..a return to sail..

2010-05-05T23:52:00.005+01:00

'The Tea Clipper Sea Witch'

It's been may years since I've painted a Sailing ship, so when I got a commision to paint one I experienced a strange fear of the task...a number of paintings started and where finished during the course of this one, for goodness sake it took nearly a year!

Eventually I felt some kind of artists blok had set in and sought advice, this I did on Yahoo answers forum, the response was useful......Fearing my paintbrushes
Whatever, it is now done, joy from the friend it was for, and relief on my part have me eager to get back into this topic, the strange ice is broken.

If the Internet is to be my field, an my website my Gallery, then SOE (Search Engine Optimisation) is a skill worth having and this produced a couple unusual tactics here.

The choice of a ship called 'Sea Witch' makes itself quite clear, but the creating of a small sister painting less so.

House Flag of the Sea Witch
All ships have a House or company flag, and so a small painting of that was produced to be displayed and associated with it. The Howland & Aspinwall company incidentally had an illustrious past and may wield lots of traffic too...time will tell!

Tree of Life - A Work in Progress

2010-05-03T22:16:00.003+01:00

I've been itching to use a large 24"x30" canvas with a failed sketch idea on it and wanted something to hang in my bedroom that would be calming and meaningful. I opted to paint my own rendition of a tree of life, all gnarled, with many branches and it's rootwork visible below the ground.

This is my first go at a large scale acrylic painting in almost 10 years, so I thought I would share my progress here with all of you. I'd say I'm not even a 3rd of the way done. I want to blend more blues into the sky, I'm only about 1/4 of the way done with the bark work and then there's that pesky underground, which I'm unsure how I'll tackle. All black? Black and dark brown? Mottled black around the edges fading to grey towards the center?

Any and all thought and ideas are welcome.

Balance (work in progress)

2010-04-30T21:07:00.002+01:00

Hello everyone! With all the random illness that has been plaguing us at the moment there has been little time or motivation for creative endeavours, though I do have some new bits to share with you. As well as an abstract piece that I am working on at the moment, and will post about soon, I began this canvas the other day. It's only sketched out in charcoal at the moment, but you get the idea... it's the God and Goddess in 'Balance' using my view of my patrons Pan and Arianrhod. The sweep of her cloak will go around the bottom with leaves and bits overlapping and balancing the composition. I'm not sure how the faces will turn out... they may end up being featureless as I'm really not that great with doing them but I'll let myself be guided as I paint.

This is the space between their faces. I wanted the background 'energy' of both of them to sort of blend and fuse together. The crisp lines of their portrait have been taped off here as I wanted to sponge the background on, plus I paint with oils which take a notoriously long time to dry, great when I want to rework areas again and again... not so great when I don't. This should be an interesting project for me as I generally work with extremely abstract forms and compositions but so far so good, I'm hoping to get a decent bit of work done on it over the weekend... it seems a very fitting painting to be working on over and around Beltane.

I have also been working on the making of a little faery door out of recycled cardboard and odds and sods from my craft drawer... it's nearly finished and I'll post about that too either here or on my main blog, or both at a later date.

Here's hoping you all have a great weekend and very blessed Beltane x

The Earth Mother

2010-04-23T20:28:00.002+01:00

With the passing of Earth Day, my mind turned towards the things I do every day to help protect and care for our beautiful Earth. I spent the afternoon at the park, watching the ducks, enjoying the warm spring sun and the sound of the river splashing by. I also worked on my Grimoire, dedicating a page to my vows to Mother Earth. While working, I sketched my vision of the Earth Mother which I later watercolored.

The experience of painting her was relaxing and felt so organic and free. I am beyond pleased with how she came out.

A Question of Mediums and Taste

2010-04-16T18:00:00.004+01:00

I want to know, what mediums do you work in? Do you work in paints, clay, charcoals? What supplies do you favor and do you have a favorite brand? Why?

If you work in photography, do you prefer working with film or digital? Do you have a favorite brand of camera or film? Why?

If you work in some other medium, tell us about it.

For me, I am most happy working with the mixed mediums of paper, paints and inks as well as photography. My absolute favorite watercolors are a solid pad that have no name or logo and that I've had for so long I can't remember where they came from. They are getting low as I've used them exclusively in my journalling and paintings and I will be heartbroken when they've gone. I have yet to find another set that matches the texture and color range produced by the dozen colors in the palette.

As for my photography, I shoot primarily in digital although I love the look of film prints. Being fairly young and digital photography becoming all the rage over the past 10 years, the formal photography classes I took as electives in college primarily focused on digital. I would love to work more with film and have every intention of taking my film camera out more often to shoot and experiment. As of right now, I shoot with two Canon Eos cameras, one film and one digital, that I have a few shared lenses for.

Robin our National Bird

2010-04-14T19:10:00.004+01:00

'Robin our National Bird'

For nearly fifty years the Robin, also referred to as Robin Redbreast has been Britain's National bird.

In 1961 the British branch of the International council for Birds were tasked with the job of selecting a species to hold the title.

They chose the European Robin (different animal to American Robin) which in Britain is a bird to feed from the window sill, and like the Blackbird, there are many people who can feed their Robins from the hand.

Male Robins are great territory defenders, you'll never get many in one garden.

The Redbreast name comes from a time when the word Orange didn't exist in Britain...that word came with the arrival of the fruit that gives the colour (color!) it's name.

I've allowed a tad of licence in this painting made from the birds own colours....the Orange in the painting is heavily backed in Red, the grey a bit more blue than in reality...the object being to balance the birds colours with those of the Union Jacks red white and blue.

It is not the first time I've been here....a number of different paintings were done in the past, a large example exists on my website....Robin that sold quickly and has always received good comments, so I burned the night oil to replace a different painting sold recently.

My new painting is on my website here... 'Robin our National Bird'..

Watercolor, a new medium

2010-04-12T19:25:00.004+01:00

The Celtic God, Lugh. 6"x6" watercolor.

For as long as I've been working in two dimensions I have clung to pencils and charcoals, preferring to work up the shadows and blend with the my fingers, or if the piece was large enough, the side of my hand. The times you could find me with gray smudges across my face and up and down my arms were countless.

In college I had a short lived, but still passionate, fling with acrylics, but I found myself still drawn to the more dusty mediums I'd grown up with. I continued in this fashion until I discovered the wonder of mixed media art journalling over a year ago and began to work with watercolors. At first the watercolors served only as semi transparent background color that allowed text and other elements to show through but they slowly began to appear on the pages as focal points and figures. My first painting where watercolor was the star of the show was a journal page depicting Artemis, the Greek goddess of the hunt and the story of the constellation Orion:

Since that painting, my affection for watercolor has grown. I still consider myself a novice and am constantly trying out new techniques and ideas. Most of my watercolor art has revolved around mythology thus far, but I am looking forward to expanding into landscapes and plant life. Now, if I could just get the hang of leaf cover and water... I suppose I'll just have to keep practicing.

Skyclad...Work in Progress

2010-04-11T11:46:00.000+01:00

As this is a very new venture for us all...and we aren't so sure what to do here...
I thought that I would help Seawitch out a bit...and post something too!

I know that for non-arty folks...the way we work must seem a little shrouded in "poncy painter speak"...sorry...but I don't do art-speak so you must forgive my lack of "technical terms"...like negative space and outside the box...you know the kind of stuff I mean...

So...I thought that it would be nice for us to share with you our Works in Progress...that doesn't mean they'll actually ever be finished...(but it makes artists feel like they are actually working...)

This is the one on my easel at the moment...she's far from finished...but she's playing quite nicely so far...so I'm not sulking too much!
Or throwing those awful artistic tempers about ;0)

For now...but knowing me...she'll end up with a daub (art-speak...sorry!)...in the wrong place...and end up in The Sacred Glory Hole...with her sisters...

Ah...the life and times of an artist...you've got to love them...

Gonzo appears, courtesy of my son...who obviously thinks my pictures could do with some jazzing up!

Sorry for the poor photo...I'll try to take a better one for next time...
But Gonzo looks good!

Farewell to a painting..

2010-04-10T13:10:00.001+01:00

'Storm Witch'
She hung on my wall for four years or was it five...not sure.
The person who commissioned her had gone broke during her painting, so I was free to change name from 'Harvesting the power' to what I have now....Storm Witch is the top google image result for that name, and I don't care what the German Rock group it's trounced might think!!
The kind of painting I wrongly thought would only appeal to another witch, few of whom are rich enough to buy this, one of my more expensive paintings, she stayed with me, who was not keen to drive a sale as had become rather attached to her also.
She was one of the last to carry my old signature of G.Rix (George Rix) before I changed it to the more expedient Seawitch you now see on my paintings, also, that amount of time on my wall had her pick something unhealthy, a nicotine stained backing and frame, I quit smoking two years ago, she is one of those things that Carry the legacy.....the buyer, a non Witch in Ireland however, was sympathetic as he has the habit himself, and besides, he was a school friend I had shared many a smoke with in those corners of the school that clique gathered almost 40 years go.
She has left my home, having arrived in one piece from her journey through the post, but not without leaving her mark.....the square patch she had partially protected in her time stood out lighter..I've placed another picture over it....farewell Storm Witch, your absence will take getting used to but I needed the money!

Magick with your paint brushes...

2010-04-09T16:20:00.000+01:00

Lets not forget we are Pagans and Witches as well as Artist's, why shouldn't we think (know) there's a force in the energy we can build up as we work to direct or have no control over?

As with any self respecting Sea Witch weather working is a forte, and I've certainly had it spill onto the canvas.

During the summer I was working on my painting 'Thunderbird Invoked' we had the wettest August on record, that was in 2004.

I did a small painting called Flooded Field to 'celebrate' it.

Some years later I was painting a work called Hurricane at Sea I painted a lightning strike with intent in mind...and the next day as I worked out on the streets in my day job...unseasonal Lightning, as Witches we don't put things down to coincidence.

That my Father could end droughts by washing his car is his own magick.

New Blog for PAN

2010-04-09T12:18:00.000+01:00

Well you pagan art lovers...here it is...now what shall we do with it?
Anyone got any ideas for the style or layout?
Or a really good picture to put up?
Remember...this is for all of us...so let's make it a cool place to visit...you never know who might see it!
I know that we're all busy bees but maybe we can arrange for someone to post something regularly...what do you think?