Since my birthday in October last year I have been getting to grips with my new Weaving Loom. Due to the Lockdown restrictions I have had plenty of time to get out and walk by the River Severn and in the wooded areas near my home. As a result of the closer involvement with nature I have been inspired to create two pieces of work in both textile and paint for December & January which have been both been complemented by short verses reflecting the images and feelings engendered in the walks. My December painting is taken from the view looking east from the tree lined path on the far side of Queens Parlour. It was a very cold, wet and wintry afternoon and the grey sky stretched on into the distance. The loose triptych starts with a list of words and verse giving me a sense of place
The Sun God is sacrificed to the underworld
Awaiting rebirth and returning power
A moment for reflection whilst the Yuletide is cold
and bleak and Autumn decay lies beneath downy coat of snowflake
It is the light of a candle and the smell of wood smoke that warms our souls
And the traditions of ancestry makes winter beautiful.
I then work on textile forming the colours and feelings which finally informs the finished acrylic artwork. I love the idea that, just maybe, in our DNA make up, we carry within us the experienced memories of our ancestors. The idea that the Sun God is waiting underground during the winter months ready to return in the spring when the blossom bursts forth provides me with inspiration and I sometimes think that my feelings are guided in some way by my ancestors who were Celtic and Breton.