Spellbound

Spellbound


My mission with this blog is to make you fall in love with my latest collection which will be released EXCLUSIVELY to subscribers on FRIDAY before they go live to the public on Monday 14th March. 

Each of the 5 paintings is a “Spell”, conjuring the transformative power of 6 natural ingredients, (a moth, a feather, a shell, a stone, a stick, and a plant).

If you have ever felt claustrophobic, overwhelmed and ungrounded, then these pieces are the antidote. Designed to nourish you, with a breath of freedom, space and connection to nature. To remind you of the wonder of discovering a precious shell, the tactile thrill of finding a special stone or feather and the magic that ensues when you bring all the ingredients together. They might nudge your cellular memory to an ancient time when they may have held deeper meaning, a shrine to Mother Earth, a deity or maybe a form of witchcraft. I hope each one holds powerful magic to heal, both the viewer and the world. 


This painting is called "August Thorn Spell", a magic assemblage around the August Thorn Moth. The feather in this painting is especially precious: I was walking through long grass some years ago, when I looked down this beautiful jay's feather was tucked inside my wedding ring! It was like receiving an angelic hug.

 

This painting is the "Brimstone Spell". Brimstone is the name of the moth featured but I also love how its name- from the sulphurous colour, evokes biblical and Shakespearian language and damnation or dark magic. The pheasant feather's rich colours are echoed in the stone with concentric circles, found on the beach in Norfolk and referenced in the white and gold pattern throughout the painting. The plant is fennel, a powerful and versatile herb that has been used for centuries in remedies and medicine.

 

This is the "Clifden Nonpareil Spell" and like the featured moth's name in French, it really is beyond compare. This is the largest, most spectacular native UK moth, with a wingspan of 12cms (painted to scale) and is the holy-grail among moth enthusiasts. It was thought to be extinct in the 1960s but has now recolonised Southern Britain. I love the hope this represents. A perfect and very beautiful metaphor for healing and recovering both yourself and the wider world. The angelic white feather is from a pigeon, even the most ordinary thing can be spectacular when we look with wonder.

 

The "Grey Dagger Spell", sounds particularly ominous. Powerful magic indeed; symbolised with the black feather, my favourite of all the feathers, oily greens and purples reflect in its delicate strands. The small oyster shell, has a tiny landscape of its own on its back and the large pebble has circular markings that look like some ancient mysterious symbol, decipherable to pre-literate people. This painting invites you to look closer, to lean in, to find the magic and the extraordinary beauty in these everyday things and then take that feeling of awe with you.

 

This "Oak Eggar Spell" is the last piece in the collection. These paintings can work at whichever level you choose to read them: a simple and beautiful still-life painting from observation, or for those willing to go deeper, all the elements of this composition are loaded with meaning. From the beautiful translucent female Oak Eggar moth active only from dusk, to the scallop shell: traditional Christian symbol of a pilgrim; to the autumnal sedum seed head and its counterpart, the spring hawthorn twig in bud. The soft downy chicken feather contrasts with the hard patina of the stone, which is perhaps most intriguing: in Suffolk, stones with holes in were traditionally called "witches stones" and hung outside. They were thought to have a huge range of powers, including: a portal to a fairy dimension, protection from witches and nightmares, potent fertility symbols, a way to treat ailments, insurance against storms at sea, and many more... Witches stones have been collected for centuries and used as powerful magical tools.

Sometimes we need a re-frame. We can get caught in our ruminations and the heaviness of the world. Especially right now. These precious, everyday and yet extraordinary natural elements are designed to transport you through time and bring you back to the marvel of nature. When you can't give yourself the luxury of a beautiful walk in an uplifting landscape, or a sunset view; this little spell can magic up the wonder of a different perspective and bring you back to your timeless essence.

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