tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46559384604713821042024-03-14T13:04:09.436+00:00The Pipit Nest - The musings, work process, and artwork of illustrative artist Pippa HoelPippahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11761597817186317766noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655938460471382104.post-85266880793873479102017-12-07T00:17:00.000+00:002017-12-07T00:17:03.027+00:00I've recently started painting landscapes! And planning to work on some portraits too! Pictures coming!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08456346034776878630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655938460471382104.post-76831653515628669582017-01-09T22:05:00.001+00:002018-05-09T07:29:55.351+01:00Stirring the paint-cauldron!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In progress paint-conjuring</div>
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Hello! After a lovely cosy weekend with my boys, I'm taking a wee pause from 'Moth Music' and working on a new piece in water-based oils. Initially, it was inspired by a section of a Norwegian folk-tale entitled 'Ikke kjørende og ikke ridende', where the main female character uses her wiles to win a prince by riding a ram with her feet just dangling in the grass... I think those were the specified terms and conditions! </div>
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I liked the 'in-between' emphasis of this particular story element, as it makes me think of transitional moments, times when we are in-between one version of ourself and the next. Working with the water-based oils is joyful and I'm looking forward to cracking on with this picture tomorrow while the littles are in nursery school. But first, a walk is in order... We have been nesting elaborately for three days straight... I have demolished nearly two whole bars of Premium dark chocolate with seasalt and pecans, and have nibbled and gnawed constantly on nuts, raisins, blueberries, fruit, more fruit, and tea by the tankful and my tummy feels like a giant jelly!!!</div>
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I have also done a bit of sketching today, pondering on ideas about the majesty of self-awareness and adopting the role of observer in one's life, and how to present this theory compactly in an image.</div>
Pippahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11761597817186317766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655938460471382104.post-54960222587353698422017-01-06T13:53:00.001+00:002017-01-07T20:17:15.218+00:00Moth Music<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Here are some snaps from my gnash-chattering -11 perambulation around Theisendammen yesterday, the lake nearest our house. Brrrr! Lovely fluttering out for a sun-kissed constitutional first thing in the morning after dropping off the munchkins! I wanted to collect a pawful of reference pics to give me a helping snowflake on my latest drawing.</div>
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By 11 I was back home in the nest, conjuring up the new picture, Moth Music (fuelled by tea in a lovely new teacup from my mamma and accompanied by my ancient pencil roll which has been a faithful companion in eons!). Listening simultaneously to The Infinite Monkey Cage, which I have fallen beak over claws with! Fascinating and a giggle too! I got to draw for about three hours before I left to pick up the buns! A good concentrated session.</div>
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Currently exploring building up shaded layers with pencil and then pushing them back with an eraser, think some nice subtle textures are starting to come through. This pic was originally intended to just be a sketch for an oil painting but so enjoying working with the pencil I will continue apace!</div>
<span id="goog_1017802777"></span><span id="goog_1017802778"></span><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08456346034776878630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655938460471382104.post-18034492663057608502017-01-05T12:38:00.000+00:002017-01-05T12:38:34.788+00:00Moth musicI'm busy conjuring up a new pencil drawing today entitled 'Moth music'. Pics coming soon! It's icy cold at the moment, -11 degrees, so I'm snuggled up with tea, toast with peanut butter and jam and a hot water bottle while I'm being a shady lady! Earlier I walked around Theisendammen to take snaps of the winter trees, and I think I will begin each working day like this, after dropping off the munchkins to barnehage. It's lovely starting the day with a brisk walk, whizzing the housework done, and then settling down to draw. I think it is nearly time to stretch my pins! <span id="goog_323292072"></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08456346034776878630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655938460471382104.post-64971145634591720442016-12-15T22:15:00.001+00:002016-12-15T22:15:52.374+00:00Back to the drawing board nest!Stunning 'crunchy' weather here at the moment. The paths are veiled in glass and walking outside you can almost feel the snow queen's frosty breath spindle-wheel-whirling beside you.<div>
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I am eager to flutter into a new painting soon. There will perhaps be a little more time in the next few days as Norsk course winds down for a winter slumber. I've also been refining and defining where I think my purpose lies in my art and reading articles about the intriguing dance between imagination and rationality, and the potential waxing and waning of each throughout life. A lot of fevered scribbling is happening in my beloved red Filofax Domino!</div>
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The last few days I've been able to sketch a bit with our boisterous boys! Very cosy as the blue hour settles around us, my teacup steams and we draw together. I've drawn a flying woman, a mountain lake scene with a crowned woman, and a feathered bird woman holding a smaller bird in a snowy scene, working quite quickly with colouring pencils and pencil, just to scribble down some ideas. The feathered bird woman snowy scene would translate well to canvas I think!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08456346034776878630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655938460471382104.post-71072229276273390612016-11-25T19:18:00.000+00:002017-01-07T09:37:36.103+00:00Cover of Joanna Newsom's 'Peach Plum Pear'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It has been many moons since the last Pipit Nest peep, so I thought I'd flutter my wings over and give a wee update. My grand plan to create a painting every two weeks has been put on hold for a little while, to make room for Norwegian course. It feels very satisfying to hurl myself so completely into learning this lovely old language, but also I feel my creative cogs squeaking and wanting to get back into conjuring up new artworks. The past month has seen my first sale go through on Epla.no as well, which was so encouraging! I think I will try and work on building up the selection there as well. While my oil paintings have been asked politely to hold on just a little longer, there has been time for a bit of sketching with my munchkins in tow. I'm so looking forward to translating these sketches in to finished paintings! In the meantime, here is a video of me and my Celtic harp Venus, working on a cover of one of my favourite songs by one of my favourite musicians, the wonderful Joanna Newsom.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08456346034776878630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655938460471382104.post-74249675134096799492016-07-13T15:04:00.000+01:002016-07-14T15:48:53.025+01:00'Golden Apple'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I can now unveil a new Pipit Nest painting!! Inspired by the Norwegian faerytale 'Gullfuglen', the painting will be called 'The Golden Apple'.</div>
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This painting was so joyful to create! I challenged myself with a two-week deadline and all the stars aligned to make this possible. The munchkins have been sleeping well during the evenings and we've had swathes of sunshine, so I've been feeling energised! </div>
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I'll try not to get frustrated if I can't stick rigidly to the deadlines. It's exciting to have a finish date to aim for, even if just as a poke of inspiration to encourage consistent content creation and stir some adrenaline into the paint mix! I think for the next painting I'm going to add an extra challenge - to not stay up TOO late into the wee small hours painting! I think that could lead to a sizzling case of burnout, so it's definitely about finding a balancing point between feeling like I have achieved a satisfactory amount of painting in the evening and burning that candle at both ends.</div>
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Building up thin glazes of water-based oils was an absorbing, meditative process, and I'm so pleased with how the picture came out. I think in the photograph it is slightly warmer and lighter than the painting itself, which I like! I love those warm colours and want to take those further into the next paintings. I think for the next painting I will also conduct some paint layering experiments before I launch on to the canvas, so I feel more certain about how to create the tones I want to achieve. </div>
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I combined looking at the work of Frida Kahlo and photographs of my own face for skin tone reference, and again referred to illustrations from 'The Age of Enchantment' book for atmospheric blue tone inspirations. I used a bit of photographic reference imagery to help me draw the fox, but the rest was from imagination. I talked with a lovely friend for a critique near the end of the painting process and she helped identify some points to modify.</div>
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I love using a faerytale as a springboard, and then combining that with whatever evolves imaginatively from that springboard, and will definitely follow that template again.</div>
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I feel like the painting speaks of sovereignty and holding one's personal power, that precious golden fruit of one's own inner wisdom. I hope the painting can instil feelings of joy, comfort, and strength in the viewer. When I have got a high quality snap, prints will be for sale on my Epla and Etsy shops, so hang in there if you'd like to pop some pennies on this pic!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08456346034776878630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655938460471382104.post-62104746661962475192016-07-01T13:10:00.000+01:002016-07-06T23:08:49.384+01:00'Gullfuglen'<div style="text-align: center;">
I am in the process of creating a painting inspired by the Norwegian faerytale 'Gullfuglen'. Isn't that a beautiful title?! It translates as 'the golden bird'. I have chosen to use the story as a springboard, using elements from the tale including a golden apple, a golden bird, a prince, a fox and a king's garden. </div>
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I began by sketching on a canvas, with the initial intention of drawing a feathered character holding a golden apple, and a fox observing. As the drawing progressed, the dress came into being, the female character became more human, and the fox became entwined with her. I added the crown, inspired by the mention of the king's garden, and the drawing started to speak to me of sovereignty, being the ruler of one's choices, and holding those choices with dignity and assuredness.</div>
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I imported the photograph of the canvas to my laptop and experimented with different colourways digitally. I was inspired by paintings seen at a gorgeous fairytale exhibition I went to in London years ago, 'The Age of Enchantment', where many of the images had a beautiful deep blue tint. At this stage the colouring is very rough, because the image is only intended to be a reference for the colours I will use on the canvas.</div>
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I am painting the final piece with water-based oils, working mainly in the middle of the day when my two year old Inigo is having his midday snooze, and a little in the evening as well if I don't conk out asleep at munchkin o'clock bedtime!</div>
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During the process so far I have encountered one main issue, which was that after drawing on the canvas, the fabric became very loose! However, it turned out to be an easy problem to solve, by spraying water on the back of the canvas, which became taut again when it dried. Apparently canvas can get looser in humid conditions, which we have now in Norway.</div>
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Here are a few sneak peeks of the canvas, brushes and palette in action:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHG8m1Ul3OH3HVcDN7w81l98ZyhskdB1cftJf3KHkd7eEu5MXhaChUJcN5F1NRrVNUYP0i5wE2DG8F7tIBMPWlNbgt-FN5iZMzG7X6FddoyFJ3vxh99FtnRSSqq0HnCNeZwS_EXRrc0w/s1600/FullSizeRender_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHG8m1Ul3OH3HVcDN7w81l98ZyhskdB1cftJf3KHkd7eEu5MXhaChUJcN5F1NRrVNUYP0i5wE2DG8F7tIBMPWlNbgt-FN5iZMzG7X6FddoyFJ3vxh99FtnRSSqq0HnCNeZwS_EXRrc0w/s200/FullSizeRender_1.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwU-0ICSzNZtXfpcOc224kXhnBUWip27YU61d0oQgWk1dRtyzCbrpHi5mmIYLGxBMaa7n2GSIUxgmQuobQ8larVb0G_8m6JimTBMjvxMBLfah0LTYGq0ygoc8lg8TdFA5I49QzUq1FvDc/s1600/FullSizeRender_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwU-0ICSzNZtXfpcOc224kXhnBUWip27YU61d0oQgWk1dRtyzCbrpHi5mmIYLGxBMaa7n2GSIUxgmQuobQ8larVb0G_8m6JimTBMjvxMBLfah0LTYGq0ygoc8lg8TdFA5I49QzUq1FvDc/s200/FullSizeRender_7.jpg" width="170" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizAU_gpx5nTv050GJItnkClzNPmbrpiFPWAQOd-wBvoCk45FjReZW9w25asKnwtHzx12_lDBg_JnVZ3tF-sFoqhxTbAmOfMX5PauNAfOkyZFbzZFNzPwmCg7KtYaFLtrM1cXYDb7jQo4k/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizAU_gpx5nTv050GJItnkClzNPmbrpiFPWAQOd-wBvoCk45FjReZW9w25asKnwtHzx12_lDBg_JnVZ3tF-sFoqhxTbAmOfMX5PauNAfOkyZFbzZFNzPwmCg7KtYaFLtrM1cXYDb7jQo4k/s320/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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Don't you just love paint-adorned palettes?! So tasty!! I aim to be finished with the piece within the next week, mainly working on slightly adjusting some colours, building up thin layers of paint, and adding in the finer details.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCjuYTW409XAwKAKK5PIp89z0tO_nfr6Sn8_gH2IY8ezKF_ROKmBTudWuOE5sRTdi8oG41Zmv4PaSS1gDBDgN84UgruADCd5VKlGRw9pOuPuOkUcCqI9onU6bq_8khQiKCSbKK8vn7fRI/s1600/13418442_10208575931289152_8677529285788378939_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCjuYTW409XAwKAKK5PIp89z0tO_nfr6Sn8_gH2IY8ezKF_ROKmBTudWuOE5sRTdi8oG41Zmv4PaSS1gDBDgN84UgruADCd5VKlGRw9pOuPuOkUcCqI9onU6bq_8khQiKCSbKK8vn7fRI/s320/13418442_10208575931289152_8677529285788378939_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I also recently sold a print! To a lovely lady in Trondheim who has been wonderful to us in the last few months. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08456346034776878630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655938460471382104.post-17925387679926282552015-11-09T12:48:00.002+00:002016-07-01T13:13:33.176+01:00East of the Sun, West of the Moon - in progress paintingI am so excited to share a new canvas in progress with you!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZuCK4OdqnyvsGKxBXBUUlCTL8P9VWev42NaQpWKTJrj0acNMabzDAoV0KPkZOAZkW3Rw6VBZIMvQdcDUtvD2yofikKAsowx8LuqRpYaqD9XEKodbsRQty2ur5vPGDK5NeStDPyziq4Xcd/s1600/eastofthesun.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZuCK4OdqnyvsGKxBXBUUlCTL8P9VWev42NaQpWKTJrj0acNMabzDAoV0KPkZOAZkW3Rw6VBZIMvQdcDUtvD2yofikKAsowx8LuqRpYaqD9XEKodbsRQty2ur5vPGDK5NeStDPyziq4Xcd/s640/eastofthesun.png" width="480" /></a></div>
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It is snow flurrying into life in on the kitchen table which is my current work space! This is the piece inspired by 'East of the Sun, West of the Moon'. I want to capture a feeling of anticipation, breath-holding, a moment of stillness between the peasant girl and the bear prince - the final touch will be snowflakes falling softly around them. I am loving painting this one and am working on it while Inigo sleeps. It is quite big and an excellent accompaniment to a cuppa tea!</div>
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On Friday I went to a Conversation Club with a lovely English friend, and there met an also lovely Italian artist! She has been working in the Sverresborg Museum on artistic projects and was fascinating to chat with. Another lovely lady phoned later to say that Trondheim Kommune is looking for international artists with limited network, to assist them in expanding their network and eventually find work - I think in the area of art!! My heart is pounding about this - looking forward to more information! Perhaps it is project based, maybe working with children? I am so excited!!</div>
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Another option I've been starting to research is the artist grants that are available to non-established artists. I would love nothing more than to be able to make a living from painting!! Perhaps by combining commune-led projects, canvas and print sales, self-led projects funded by grants and eventual exhibitions, this dream could be a reality?!</div>
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All my feathers crossed!!!</div>
<br />Pippahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11761597817186317766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655938460471382104.post-9204214820353661222015-10-21T21:18:00.003+01:002015-10-21T21:18:51.978+01:00Pipit painting again!Time for a Pipit Nest update! I am so sorry it has been so quiet here recently!<br />
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My wings are twitching, and so thrilled to flutter my feathers to tell you that after an extended period of hatching chicks I am officially back in the swing of painting!! Ooo and it feels sooooo good! I am over the moon to flex those paintbrushes again! (Although I do love a nice bit of baby baking too! And ahem, might not say no to more buns in the oven in the future!)<br />
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I thought it would be nice to share a bit of what my life is like at the moment, and how I am beginning to squeeze painting in to the daily schedule. I love in The Artist's Way, a truly fabulous book for any creative going through a period of artist's block!! - how it says a good start is just making art a priority in your time planning. Giving yourself permission! Nurturing that inner artist - beautiful!!<br />
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Now littlest mite is over 1 year old, and biggest bug is going on 4, daily routines are beginning to fall into place so I know when my painting slot is! We get up 7, have breakfast together, walk Caspian to kindergarten for 9.30, go on to an open kindergarten or for a wander in the field or the forest, or play at home and sing with Venus, or pick up grub at the shop, come home for lunch between 11-12, then Inigo sleeps until 3 - PAINTING SLOT IDENTIFIED!! The slot is about two hours (as long as the basic tidying is sorted, washing and dishwasher on before we leave in the morning and have hung up washing while Inigo eats lunch - he is a leisurely muncher!)... then I brew a cuppa (current fave Fortnum & Mason Wedding Breakfast, darling!! My own darling and I got married in August), either listen to a witchy / tarot / faery vibe video on youtube or tune in to Norsk radio! - just found this is fabulous multi-tasking for language practice at the same time!), wiggle into my apron and launch straight into those scrumptious water-based oils!! When Inigo wakes up we go straight to pick up Caspers, then play in the garden till 4.30ish - as we live in a flat we have quite a lovely big garden with a sandpit and swings, then it's home for supper and indoors play and TV veggin' and Pappa lovin'!! The piglets are asleep by 8ish, and then I make lunchboxes and tidy up, and then there's an hour or so (or three, but that is if I stay up a weeee bit too late) to have another brew, and some cheeky chocs I mean vegetables!!, either do a bit more painting or just zone out seeking beautiful inspiration treasures on Pinterest - I love collecting gorgeous images of fairytales, book illustration, fine art, harps, studios, nature, artsy clothing, and veggie grub!<br />
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Next August Inigo will begin in barnehage and then I will begin a Norwegian course, so my middle of the day painting slot may be zapped! But there is still the evening, and the weekends too of course. There are some fabulous art grants you can apply for in Norway, but not sure if I am eligible, very keen to research though! It would be so exciting to be able to make a living from art, but I am also very interested in becoming an art teacher! I have done art workshops with children before and enjoyed it so much - the only problem being there are very few art teacher job opportunities here. But definitely my future goal, along with selling my canvasses. It would also be so good to work in a school because when the littles begin in school, we will have the same holidays! I am not sure what to do for my job to get to that point though! Thinking about different pathways and how to gain the best experience. Would also love gallery work - I have worked previously in The Green Tree Gallery in Sussex, and it was so lovely being surrounded by gorgeous creativity, and I liked chatting to the customers!<br />
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The canvas I have started working on is an illustration for 'East of the Sun, West of the Moon'. It is quite a close-up, with the peasant girl kneeling in the snow at the feet of the great white bear prince. I have added a hint of a crown in his fur behind his ears, to add a bit of royal intrigue! I'm having such a hoot with this painting. It was originally the under-drawing for the Spring / pregnancy picture, but that just wasn't working, I wasn't feeling it! This one is working though!! The textures are starting to build up and I'm focussing on trying to capture a moment of still anticipation between the girl and the bear. I just love water-based oils, definitely my favourite canvas medium. I will try and get a snap of the in-progress work. It would be so nice to show all the stages when it's finished!<br />
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Just a wee update then, to tweet that the nest is still rustling in the branches, and I am so excited to share new work!!Pippahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11761597817186317766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655938460471382104.post-20504595412168922402015-06-19T20:37:00.003+01:002015-06-19T20:40:42.949+01:00What draws me to faerytales?TEA! Say it with me, baby! Tea is my fuel of choice for art o clock, and I've dedicated a drawer now to tea, bang next to the kitchen table which is my studio space. The drawer is now groaning under the weight, and it's such a joy to see all those beautiful boxes, and sniff all those luscious leaves just jostling to be glugged down! These are some of my favourite cuppas at the mo:<br />
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<span class="s1">Yogi Ginger, Orange and Vanilla, </span>Yogi Rose, Yogi Classic, Pukka Womankind, Pukka Love, Pukka Three Mint, Twinings Everyday</div>
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<span class="s1">Apart from rejoicing in tea, I have now restarted a notebook / sketchbook - it has been sooo many moons. It felt so good to scribble down all the ideas crashing into each other in my head like confused bees! I had some really good chats with my sweet mamma this week too. She is a creativity whizz and takes lots of art courses. She creates gorgeous silver jewellery of leaves and cups of acorn and tea, which I am very honoured to 'zoink'! We were talking about a lot of questions I had about the areas of art which get me fired up and came up with some whopping conclusions that have sorted out some really scrambly feelings I was having:</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Contrast - the importance of light and dark in the painting. Both in terms of light and shadow aesthetically, but also a hint of some darker presence or element in a scene of beauty or innocence. Enforcing both the light and the dark by them being juxtaposed.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Which brings me onto - the importance of beauty! There is a super documentary about beauty in art, and this feels so important to me. '<a href="https://vimeo.com/112655231"><span class="s2">Why Beauty Matters</span></a>' by Roger Scruton. Such a fabulous analysis and well worth an ogle. Faerytale art seems like such an epitome of beauty to me. But also encapsulates that darker side effectively. As Neil Gaiman says, </span><br />
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<span class="s1"><i>'Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.'</i></span><br />
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<span class="s1">Why I want to paint faerytales - Being part of a long history or tradition feels so bewitching to me! Being able to connect with so many people who have shaped the malleable fabric of a folk tale or faerytale over time. It is so touching how these tales live, evolve, and grow - which Neil Gaiman has also discussed quite marvellously in a recent talk, which you can see on <a href="http://www.brainpickings.org/tag/neil-gaiman/"><span class="s2">Brain Pickings!</span></a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>'Stories … are genuinely symbiotic organisms that we live with, that allow human beings to advance.'</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Such an eloquent and insightful musing! Love this bit too:</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>'Nearly half a century after French molecular biologist Jacques Monod <a href="http://www.brainpickings.org/2011/08/01/networked-knowledge-combinatorial-creativity/"><span class="s2">proposed</span></a> what he called the “abstract kingdom” — a conceptual parallel to the biosphere, populated by ideas that propagate like organisms do in the natural world — and after Richard Dawkins built upon this concept to <a href="http://www.brainpickings.org/2013/10/02/richard-dawkins-meme-appetite-for-wonder/"><span class="s2">coin the word “meme,”</span></a> Gaiman suggests stories are a life-form obeying the same rules of genesis, reproduction, and propagation that organic matter does.'</i></span><br />
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So beautiful!! I love the idea of these tales existing in a sort of nebulous floaty realm, (and being reliant on human beans to stay alive.) It reminds me so much of Carl Jung's idea of the collective unconscious. Sort of like a big swooshy cosmic bog of experience squelching out universal symbols and behaviours which humans and animals seem to automatically know. And the faerytale realm is similarly a stonking great marshful of wisdom (or wishdom as I wrote first, he he) from which we can draw to gain knowledge of certain archetypes, plunder for life guidance and have a face whacked on abstract concepts (eg. trolls representing the shadows we have in ourselves) to make them more appealing to confront. Fascinating! </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I hope that all makes sense - I will research more and try and clarify more as I go along. But I feel like there's a lovely foundation now for launching from in terms of what fascinates me about these tales. I'm focussing first on East of the Sun, West of the Moon, and particularly the bit where the youngest daughter is riding off on the back of the white bear. Such a compelling image! I love how she grips his fur tightly as she rides off to her new life - such emotion you could capture in that gesture I think.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">What draws you to faerytales, and just as importantly, what's in your cup?!</span></div>
Pippahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11761597817186317766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655938460471382104.post-56127380230580544642015-06-17T09:24:00.004+01:002015-06-17T12:26:28.709+01:00Fairytales and the psyche - a fascinating pairingTwo ideas I want to research more this week include:<br />
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Carl Jung's research into folktales, fairytales, myths and legends and his ideas about their inclusion of universal archetypes<br />
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The idea of self-destructive rage in fairytales - eg. Rumpelstiltskin and the troll in East of the Sun, West of the Moon<br />
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The twist on the story of Narcissus in Paulo Coelho's <i>The Alchemist </i>(which I am yearning to own and read!!! - it sounds absolutely spectacular) - where the river and Narcissus could be said to be in a symbiotic relationship - each seeing only their own beauty in the other's eyes - they seem reliant on each other - I imagine two people only able to perceive themselves as lovable through someone else's loving eyes. Interesting to wonder if such a relationship is constructive or destructive - or maybe a bit of both! Such an interesting theme which I'd love to explore in a painting.<br />
<br />Pippahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11761597817186317766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655938460471382104.post-73279242256506110182015-06-08T22:28:00.002+01:002015-06-08T22:47:13.258+01:00Celtic harp inspirationTwo magical harpists whose music I adore are Elisabeth Jane Baldry and Àine Minogue. Elisabeth Jane Baldry features in a super documentary called <i>The Fairy Faith</i>, and she is so sweet! She has dedicated a lot of work to Victorian fairy music and I hope to buy her CD soon - I think it must be wonderful. I have also just heard of a magical folk song called <i>The Selkie - </i>Àine Minogue's enchanting version has captured my heart.<br />
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An extract from the lyrics:<br />
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"I'm a man upon the land, I'm a selkie in the sea; and when I'm far frae every stand, my dwelling is in Suleskerry."</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aine Minogue - one of my favourite musicians - her music is a direct export from eventyr land<br /><div style="text-align: left;">
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Pippahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11761597817186317766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655938460471382104.post-92110589674766600042015-06-08T22:09:00.001+01:002015-06-08T22:21:59.748+01:00Eventyr! A beauteous new book and personification inspirationI have just bought the beautifulest, weightiest, whopping great brick of a tome and I'm so excited I could pop!!<br />
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Entitled <i>Eventyr</i> (isn't that just the most magical word? It means fantastical, fairytale escapade in Norwegian. What could be more evocative? It sounds like 'adventure' and 'eventide' squished together! Mm, adventures at eventide, anyone??... *disappears in a sigh to a mystical land*). The book is enormous and stuffed to the spine with folk tales and faery tales from Norway, with illustrations by my beloved Theodor Kittelsen among some lovely others who I'm getting to know. The text is all in Norwegian so it's good practice for me to flex my dusty braincells and translate!<br />
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The front cover of the book features this gorgeous Kittelsen painting, an illustration to a tale called <i>Kvitebjørn kong Valemon</i> (<i>White Bear King Valemon)</i> Stories combining human beans and personified wild forest animals ignite so many fireworks in my heart... throw in a pawful of shadowy woodland and I'm sold!</div>
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I've read the first six stories and about to embark on <i>Østenfor sol og vestenfor måne</i> (<i>East of the sun and west of the moon</i>), which is a longer tale than those I've tackled so far, and also features a walkin' talkin' white bear. I think it will be an inspiring one!</div>
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The previous story I read, <i>Risen som ikke hadde noe hjerte på seg (The giant who had no heart in him) </i>was also a golden chestnut! At one point in the tale, Askeladden (Ash Lad in English - a recurring character in Norwegian faery tales who, though small, packs a punch when it comes to outwitting foes) is riding on the back of an anthropomorphic grey wolf (who has grown quite sizeable after being permitted to gobble up Askeladden's horse - gotta love those dark gory twists), hunting for the heart of the giant on a faraway island so he can squish it! He needs to enlist the help of several other animals along the way, one of them being the raven. I love the image of Askeladden and the oversized grey wolf, on a little misty island, calling to the raven. Would he call with an instrument, a horn, maybe? Would the wolf howl to help? You can almost hear raven's wings flapping! This would be such a beautiful painting!</div>
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When our oldest munchkin Caspian was a babby, he loved to play in the ashes at the open kindergarten at the historical museum up our road and Hilde, one of the tutors there, pointed out he was just like Askeladden. That's my babe! He has moved on these days to whizzing trains about at Japanese high-speed bullet train speeds but is still a crafty wee fox, very good at outwitting his (gullible) mamma (especially when it comes to sjokolade!!!)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caspian Askeladden</td></tr>
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On a separate note, while poking about hunting for other magical tales online, I came across <i>The North Wind and the Sun. </i>This is from Aesop's Fables and features a personified wind and sun, who try to strip a traveller of his cloak. It is about persuasion triumphing over force. I love the idea of personified weather! Fantastic!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An illustration by Milo Winter from a 1919 edition of Aesop's Fables, showing the personified north wind attempting to strip the traveler of his cloak</td></tr>
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<i><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">'The North Wind and the Sun were disputing which was the stronger, when a traveler came along wrapped in a warm cloak.</span></i></div>
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<i>They agreed that the one who first succeeded in making the traveler take his cloak off should be considered stronger than the other.</i></div>
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<i>Then the North Wind blew as hard as he could, but the more he blew the more closely did the traveler fold his cloak around him;</i></div>
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<i>and at last the North Wind gave up the attempt. Then the Sun shined out warmly, and immediately the traveler took off his cloak.</i></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><i>And so the North Wind was obliged to confess that the Sun was the stronger of the two.</i> '</span></div>
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<br />Pippahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11761597817186317766noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655938460471382104.post-11085704871496398962015-06-06T13:23:00.000+01:002015-06-06T13:23:11.507+01:00Snippets of poetry from old notebooksSaturday afternoon skating moonbeams gently glittering out from old notebooks!<br />
They feel like a gateway into an old world of inspiration <3 p="">Maybe to use in songs, or future paintings?<br />
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Some of my favourites:<br />
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And the cosmos drew in his breath</div>
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'til he was blue in the face</div>
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We stand poised on the sill of this astral land</div>
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Silver nails of rain in our hands</div>
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We gape, wide-eyed, at saffron-soaked limbs</div>
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While from her coccoon, Calisto sings.</div>
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Will I be found in uncertain lack?</div>
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A pipeclay thorn pockmarking my back?</div>
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Also - the earth is the third planet from the sun - fascinating also that three is an essential number within the realms of folklore, fairytales, and aesthetically pleasing sequences / proportions.</div>
</3>Pippahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11761597817186317766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655938460471382104.post-62904972379073415612015-05-24T01:08:00.002+01:002015-05-24T01:10:28.854+01:00Split Pin Puppet - Bird Character<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg762XdDLwmr7KCD5D1fFb5kIIVTe79GPOtm00TgiRu8k2mGWdOvd1YnnwIGBhthnx0XQXBEC5jH9IXWOduZHD2Zj-bpdwcJk3Mgj-qwwN_hDwF_mpCNzEYuNdDsSgiaKNj3HZtCa-UuQUi/s1600/boing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg762XdDLwmr7KCD5D1fFb5kIIVTe79GPOtm00TgiRu8k2mGWdOvd1YnnwIGBhthnx0XQXBEC5jH9IXWOduZHD2Zj-bpdwcJk3Mgj-qwwN_hDwF_mpCNzEYuNdDsSgiaKNj3HZtCa-UuQUi/s400/boing.jpg" width="326" /></a></div>
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I wrote a <a href="http://thepipitnest.blogspot.com/2012/06/im-currently-wanting-to-develop-more.html">post</a> many moons ago about making split pin puppets again, inspired by the fantastic Rima Staines at <a href="http://intothehermitage.blogspot.com/">Into The Hermitage</a>! Now I am hankering to make more again. They are so useful for creating playful, dynamic poses that otherwise might not seem obvious. This bird character was a joy to make and I'd like to make more working with the folklore, faery, and fertility themes.</div>
<br />Pippahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11761597817186317766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655938460471382104.post-76628317263911069042015-05-24T00:53:00.000+01:002015-05-24T00:53:46.598+01:00Comparing English and Norwegian folklores - Mêl-An-Tol and GiftesteinenI have just read something fascinating which fits beautifully into a project idea I've had brewing for the last few years: comparing Norwegian and English folklores and faerytales to inspire new creative work. It also links into the fertility theme that's been inspiring me since spring two years ago!<br />
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So without further ado! I read about an ancient stone site in Cornwall, called the <i>Mêl-An-Tol.</i> The site comprises four stones, one of which is big and round with a hole in the middle (so basically, a giant, Bronze Age Polo!). The site is thought to be about 3,500 years old. The stone has many magical powers attributed to it, one of which was to aid fertility. By passing a set number of times (often 3 or 9) through the stone on a full moon night, a woman's fertility was said to be boosted. Farmers could also use the stone to increase their bounty.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mel-An-Tol - photograph from http://www.cornwalls.co.uk/history/sites/men_an_tol.htm</td></tr>
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Now the Norway bit! A few years ago, my hubby-to-be, family and I were on a road trip around his home territory in Western Norway. We passed by a big stone with a hole in the middle, with a fertility story attached to it. It was said if a bride-to-be could pass through the stone, all was in order, and if she couldn't... she was probably pregnant! (Maybe because her big bun-in-the-oven belly would get stuck?!)... The stone is called <i>Giftesteinen</i> or <i>Jomfrusteinen</i> (the marriage stone, or virgin stone), and lies in Hornindal.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giftesteinen / Jomfrusteinen - photograph from http://www.nordfjord.no/no/Produkt/?TLp=227585&view=image<br />
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Aren't they both wonderful? Just humming with magical ancient energy! As an interesting aside - thinking about magical stones with holes in - there are also <i>hag stones </i>(which have many alternative names too, see below!) in England, small stones with holes in, which are said to hold magical faery powers.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A hag stone / witch stone / serpent egg / snake egg / Glain Neidr in Wales / Gloine nan Druidh (Druid´s Glass) in Scottish Gaelic - photograph from wikipedia</td></tr>
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Pippahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11761597817186317766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655938460471382104.post-59065038317308548292015-05-23T05:58:00.001+01:002015-05-24T00:59:14.554+01:00Foxy Folklore of the Northern Lights!I've sketched a couple of fertility-related characters - a sheela na gig birthing a tree, and a green man dancing, and I want to combine them in a big painting with other supporting characters. Meanwhile, I've also discovered some beautiful folklores around the phenomenon of the northern lights. Having lived in Norway for nearly four years, I am yet to catch a glimpse of the emerald inferno in the sky (except for a few little shimmery puffs!) - so I'm getting impatient and will just have to ignite some of my own with paint! From luminarium.org I found these lovely tales (fox tails??):<br />
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<li>Finland - the Finnish name for aurora borealis (the northern lights) is <i>'revontulet'</i>, which translates as 'fox fires'. How beautiful is that... The translation in itself just sparks the imagination into a foxy frenzy! The name derives from an ancient Finnish myth which suggested the lights were caused by a magical fox sweeping his tail across the snow so it flew into the sky. aurora-service.eu states there are variations on this theme - one where an arctic fox runs far in the north and his fur touches the mountains, causing sparks to leap into the sky. Another says the moonlight reflects off the snowflakes the fox has swept into the sky. Such beautiful imagery - just begging to be painted, and have songs written about!</li>
<li>Other cultures have ideas of the lights being departed spirits, departed spirits playing football with a walrus skull, departed walrus spirits playing football with a human skull... great fires lit by gods, battling warriors, dancing maids... </li>
<li>Some have reported hearing a whistling, crackling noise accompanying the aurora. I love the idea of the lights being musical! It reminds me of the idea of 'the music of the spheres' - the philosophical concept that the movement of celestial bodies could be translated as a kind of music. The following is a quote from Ernest W. Hawkes' book, <i>The Labrador Eskimo</i>:</li>
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<em style="border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit;"></em><br />
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<em style="border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit;"><em style="border: none; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;">The whistling crackling noise which sometimes accompanies the</em></em></div>
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<em style="border: none; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;">aurora is the voices of (departed) spirits trying to communicate</em></div>
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<em style="border: none; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;">with the people of the Earth. They should always be answered</em></div>
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<em style="border: none; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;">in a whispering voice. Youths dance to the aurora. The</em></div>
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<em style="border: none; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;">heavenly spirits are called selamiut, “sky-dwellers,” those who</em></div>
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<em style="border: none; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;">live in the sky”</em><span style="line-height: 1.6;">.</span></div>
</em>Pippahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11761597817186317766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655938460471382104.post-84812626893539400742015-05-17T22:21:00.000+01:002015-05-24T01:03:07.546+01:00FertilitySeeking inspiration and musing about fertility tonight - spring is in the air!<br />
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Leafing through seedlings of ideas:<br />
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Sheela na gig - Giving birth to trees, foliage<br />
Humans and nature interwoven<br />
Green man<br />
Hedgehog, rabbit<br />
Constellation related to fertility?<br />
Norwegian / English / Sami folk lores related to fertility?<br />
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<br />Pippahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11761597817186317766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655938460471382104.post-27561075044380275092015-05-17T11:38:00.001+01:002015-05-24T01:02:28.901+01:00Pipit flying in with a new art adventure!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello from Norway's National Day! I hope everyone is sparkling and enjoying the spring!</div>
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I am going to be inspired by all the cake, coffee (well, tea in this cup, ahem - well, you can take the gal outta England, but--), patriotic pride and frenetic flag waving and touchdown back in blogland (or bogland, as the autocorrect says - oo I like that, might pinch that one for a story!) after many (merry) moons of buns in the ovens! Now that Bun no. 1 goes to barnehage and Bun no. 2 is a bit more settled into a routine of longer snoozes, it might be possible to get back to some painting! I am loving being a mamma and hope there might be some mamma-related paintings in the mix, also weaving in threads from faerytales, folk tales, witchy magic, animal and plant lore, forest preservation, ancient astronomy, music makers, Celtic harps, Shakespeare, Chaucer, Sami culture and tea!.... Um yes, well that might end up as quite a <i>busy</i> painting, but these are all the topics which inspire my socks off (which do have teacups on today!) and I want to be working with. I have a new plan brewing, when both buns are in the kindergarten, I will take a Norwegian course and then hopefully train to be an art teacher!! How exciting that would be. I do hope also allowing time in holidays for indulging my itching painting paws!</div>
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It was so fascinating a while back in the blog to analyse appearances of emerald green in art, literature, and the universe, and I'd love to use this blog as a place where some good ol' fashioned analysis could go too! At the moment I like the thought of delving into Norwegian and English folk lore and tales of enchantment, finding similarities and differences and maybe even combining the findings in new paintings, poetry and music. I love to play Celtic harp too and was thinking how lovely it would be to illustrate traditional harp songs - some have beautiful, yearning lyrics which would be exciting to translate in pictures on canvas! There are many traditional instruments which intrigue and inspire me, and I like the thought of painting music makers too.</div>
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So raise your teacups to celebrate a steaming new art adventure!! </div>
<br />Pippahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11761597817186317766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655938460471382104.post-27043080749775689552013-05-20T09:25:00.000+01:002015-05-24T01:02:58.818+01:00Symbology of Hedgehog and the Hidden Side of Spring<div style="text-align: center;">
Spring has arrived in Norway with a toasty 27 degrees! Everything is green, glittering and gorgeous, the forest is buzzing with birdsong, and the lakes and waterfalls are spangled with sun-diamonds.</div>
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I went walking round the lake just up the road from our house (Theisendammen) last night, after a sun-roasted day, and was enchanted by a beautiful energy humming through the forest - the feeling of all the trees and plants quietly recharging after a long day of growing and working in the sizzle of Spring. I felt so inspired by this energy - it seemed like there was a hidden side of Spring which perhaps we don't normally see. While the Spring days can be popping at the seams with colour and vibrancy, when the cloak of evening is draped over the forest, a more subtle energy takes over, where the ferns furl up in magical spirals, the flowers nod their heads into sleep, the leaves fold up for the night, and the nocturnal animals are waking up and beginning their mysterious work in the shadow of night. Everything was sunkissed and drowsy.</div>
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As I mentioned in the previous post, I am feeling very drawn to the Hedgehog at the moment, and the symbolism of Hedgehog as a totem animal. Being a nocturnal animal, Hedgehog would fit well into the new painting I was imagining, about this hidden side of Spring. </div>
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After a little research I found out that in Celtic lore, Hedgehog is actually a symbol of Spring arriving! He has many other beautiful earthy symbols too. With his belly lying close to the plant life on earth, he is a symbol of fertility and connectedness to Mother Earth. When we see Hedgehog curled in a ball, we can be reminded of the foetal position. The curled ball form is also an encouragement to us to be centred, and with his spiny armour, Hedgehog is wonderful for helping us develop self-protection. As a nocturnal creature, Hedgehog represents intuition, psychic ability, prophetic dreams and visions.<br />
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To weave in the symbols of fertility, connectedness, and protectiveness, at the moment I am imagining a pregnant woman sitting in the woodland, in the stillness of the Spring evening, caressing a hedgehog perched on her pregnant belly. She would have 'hvitveis' (Norwegian woodland flowers which appear in Spring) woven in a crown around her hair, and perhaps dandelion clocks too, representing the passing of time and seasons, and adding more circular forms to the painting, also apparent in the belly, the hedgehog, and the spiral-furled ferns. With the dimming evening light around them, I think an albino hedgehog would be striking and symbolise the new lightness of Spring.<br />
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One more aspect of the concept behind the painting I was thinking about last night - the hidden side of Spring could be thought of as a 'between' time and place, where the realm of faerie is thought to exist, or be more easily accessed. I think this could lend a magical quality to the picture too.<br />
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Now I will start sketching! I'm so excited to begin this new painting and can't wait to share my progress with you all.</div>
Pippahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11761597817186317766noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655938460471382104.post-19808778001339365862013-05-19T13:19:00.002+01:002013-05-19T13:29:12.484+01:00The Wise Raven and the Lady of the Woods<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHqqgMvo-ABMz8bOkCfJxv0fPFSuIDhvKhv3eMlklsq6uBs4ggcpTlU5mPOvPIQw0nNLj_pcOQkxo6Va4xiYvzsKf9GIvYXVK04OHpWrj73V9EQs0N18_EZ6If4aTCEx8jQFzNbBVMRL2/s1600/ravon.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHqqgMvo-ABMz8bOkCfJxv0fPFSuIDhvKhv3eMlklsq6uBs4ggcpTlU5mPOvPIQw0nNLj_pcOQkxo6Va4xiYvzsKf9GIvYXVK04OHpWrj73V9EQs0N18_EZ6If4aTCEx8jQFzNbBVMRL2/s400/ravon.png" width="302" /></a></div>
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Here is a snap of a new canvas I have been conjuring on the last couple of weeks! The painting is inspired by a lovely yoga quote I read ~</div>
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"Knowledge comes from learning. Wisdom comes from letting go of what we think we know."</div>
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... And also from an old Irish proverb, "to have a raven's knowledge", meaning to have a seer's supernatural powers. Raven is thought of as the oldest and wisest of animals in Paganism.</div>
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I thought I would represent knowledge as a raven and have him being set free by a birch tree dryad (tree spirit - though 'dryad' originally referred specifically to the spirits of oak trees, it has come to mean a spirit of any tree), the Lady of the Woods. She has three raven eggs in the nest in her hair, symbolising the birth of new ideas. When she has hatched a new idea, she will let it be free, like the grown raven, and share it with the forest and the beings who share the forest with her. My wonderful chum Lisa, a marine biologist, said that she thinks it is so beneficial when scientists share their knowledge gained from projects, and I loved how she brought her own perspective to the concept behind the painting.</div>
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I am now planning what to paint next, and currently feeling very inspired by the hedgehog and the symbology of Hedgehog as an animal totem. I have read so far that Hedgehog can symbolise fertility, their bellies lying close to the Mother (Earth), and being a mamma now I think that is partly what is drawing me to Hedgehog as a character in the new painting. I will research Hedgehog a bit more today and make sketches... and flutter my wings back here very soon!</div>
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Pippahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11761597817186317766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655938460471382104.post-25107338186435200612013-05-02T16:10:00.000+01:002013-05-02T16:10:27.792+01:00I thought it would be lovely to show you a peek of my sketchbook journeying at the moment! These are some sketches for tree spirits, working especially with the idea of the aspen tree currently, as we found lots of aspen leaves in the little twinkle of faerie woodland near our nest! The aspen tree was known to the Celts as 'the whispering tree', and if you go to watch the aspen, you will hear its magical whispering song, and see the ethereal leaves shaking their booties in the breeze!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sketchbook pages - The Aspen Spirit</td></tr>
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Pippahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11761597817186317766noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655938460471382104.post-60209641296305633112013-04-21T19:22:00.002+01:002013-05-02T13:52:25.433+01:00Tree Lore ~ Birch, magpie nests, and the 'Witch's Brooms'As Caspian gets to know the forest for the first time, and I want to be able to tell him twiggy tales of those gorgeous forest guardians, I thought it would be lovely to flex my research feathers and start a series of posts and paintings about some of the wonderful tales of tree lore there are in England and Norway.<br />
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To begin with - the beautiful birch, also called the Lady of the Woods...<br />
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I've been spying these nest-like bundles of twigs in the birches near our flat, and was intrigued by them. After prowling around on the 'Skog og Landskap' (forest and landscape) website, I found out in Norway they are called 'heksekost', or 'witch's brooms' in England! They're caused by a cheeky fungus but the witches were suspected as when all the twigs grow in the same direction they look like broomsticks, abandoned in the trees after... they crashed?</div>
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What a fun story and wouldn't it make a super illustration! I then found out that broomsticks are traditionally made from birch twigs... I love the idea of combining ideas from witchcraft and tree lore with forest folklore! Wouldn't it be lovely to have a woodland sprite, curled with her birch broomstick in a nest?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A magpie's nest in a birch tree behind our flat in Sverresborg... we saw the magpies weaving in branches this week! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful tall birches near Sponhuset Café in Trondheim, showing the witch's brooms!</td></tr>
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PS ~ Part of my research has led me to the magical videos of Laura Daligan, artist, witch and psychic - she has made an amazing series of tree tales, faerie magick & animal totem lore on her YouTube channel Lauraredwitch, I adore her Witchcraft Diaries, you must take a peek at her video treasures!<br />
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Pippahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11761597817186317766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4655938460471382104.post-65407601463811650712013-04-20T11:04:00.001+01:002013-04-20T11:04:50.121+01:00Forest Faeries and Woodland Wonder...Merry meet, beautiful blog voyagers!<div>
I hope you are having the most star-spangled first flickers of Spring. </div>
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Here in Norway the snowy carpet has melted and I'm feeling the tantalising honeybee buzz of creativity awakening, yawning and stretching after a long slumber! We've been exploring in the forest beyond the field behind our flat most mornings... today Caspian (our little prince aged 15 months) held my hand as we crunched over the birch twigs and meandered over the moss, and then found a puddle to splash in (sit in)... We dived under a shelter some woodland sprites have woven together from fir branches and logs bound to the trees with winding cobwebs of string when the hail swooped in. The forest is pint-sized but crammed with character; ancient feeling emerald rocks entwined with mossy roots... green puddles to stamp in, little hollows beneath the trees where I think we could leave some acorn cupfuls of herb tea for the forest faeries...</div>
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We've been collecting birch and aspen leaves and breathing in the sweet sun glittering air as the birds sing far above us in the towering pines... I am brewing new plans to paint using only natural materials, collected ephemera from the forest, and a pumpkin carriageful of dreaming and magic!</div>
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My heart is burning for faery, folk, forest, tree and plant lore more that ever... we've been to the library to gather books on botany and the woodlands like a squirrel foraging acorns! My gorgeous wonder-artist friend Lorna gave me a couple of fantastical faery books at Yule too, which are just magical.</div>
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I'm working through the super book, 'The Artist's Way' to find my path into new painting projects and so very excited about the new journey... I hope you will be with me all the way!</div>
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Pippahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11761597817186317766noreply@blogger.com0