New paintings for Dawn Fires

I have been continuing to explore this more symbolic and mythical strand to my work where symbols like the moon seem to appearing in abundance. I am still working intuitively with these paintings, reflecting and allowing forms to arise in my mind or directly on the canvas.

In Tree of Stars, and Homage to the Moon I was drawing on the traditions of the Tree of Life, or World Tree. The tree that links the levels of the world from the underworld to the heavens. In Tree of Stars, there is also reference to alchemical texts, where symbols are often depicted on a tree. Here stars in red, white and gold hang from the tree, and a large blackbird who can often be heard singing late into the night, also holds a luminous star on a red thread.
The star seems to be an offering of light to any traveller who intends to enter the doorway set inside the hill and venture on the paths below.

A standing stone inscribed with the marks of the Goddess stands outside the doorway guarding its entrance and symbols of the labyrinth are marked in the fields. As I was painting this picture it seemed as though it was taking on the qualities of a talisman itself.


Homage to the Moon, as the title suggests began with not one but two moons in the rich blue of the night sky. More and more moons have been appearing in these more symbolic paintings over the last few months. I'm not sure where this will lead but for now I paint the moons.
The World Tree in this painting has rich foliage and the celtic and Goddess marks upon its trunk and branches and a white bird with echos of the luminous moon flys across it.

A dragon lies uncurling under the roots of the tree contemplating or watching a smaller moon and a monk sits meditating infront of the entrance to a cave, with his own luminous moon in his lap. It seemed that everything in the painting was paying homage to the moon.

Some of my paintings will be in a Dawn Fires exhibition in the Atlantis Bookshop Gallery.
Link to Dawn Fires here The exhibition runs from 17th to 29th October, link to Atlantis Bookshop address and contact details here

Private View, Common Grounds, E17 Art Trail and Visitors Exhibition.

I am hanging my work tonight at the Hornbeam Environmental Centre and Cafe, ready for the private view and press event tomorrow as part of the E17 Art Trail info about the trail here The exhibition Common Grounds is a group show at the Hornbeam and FRP, the recycling project next door. There is some great work on show including painting, photography, textiles, artists books and mixed media pieces.

My original work based on a photograph of mine, a close up of a dandelion seed head, has included painting but not the textile work I had envisaged. But the work Natures Clock has expanded to include another small painting looking at the nature of time and the moon. In particular the evocative names for the moon from a number of traditions, like Wolf Moon, for the full moon in January from Medieval and native American traditions The Harvest Moon, October in a number of traditions including Celtic traditions and September's Nut Moon from the Cherokee tradition.

It's funny how work changes as you carry on working on a piece, I should have realised that writing about a piece before finishing it would prove tricky!




The private view is Wednesday 1st September 6.30-9pm at the Hornbeam and recycling project next door.458 Hoe St, E17 9AH Hornbeam info here
I have also put in a visitor to the Art Trail. A friend of mine Katja Rosenberg is curating the exhibition in the gardens around the Vestry House Museum. She has also put up a great little website for the show here.

My visitor is the Little Blue Bird of Happiness, here and I will be helping Katja install the exhibition tomorrow at Vestry House. More visitors can be added to the installation during the Art Trail.