The Greeting

This is one of my latest paintings, and it's one I'm really excited about sharing as it was inspired by a friendly fae sighting in Cornwall recently.

I fell in love with Cornwall when I spent three years there at Art College in Falmouth. Now having done a good few years in London, I am more than ready to return there. Every time I visit I feel like I've come home. I heard someone say that 'Cornwall either sucks you in or Kicks you out' and I've most definitely been sucked in. :)

So I was recently house hunting and staying with my friend Emily who lives in a lovely village in east Cornwall. Shortly after arriving we took advantage of the Spring Sunshine and went for a walk through the magickal woods near her home...

Emily is a very magickal person and her connection with the fae is strong, so perhaps it's unsurprising that a photo taken on the way back from the woods featured a friendly Tree Spirit who seemingly came to say 'Hi'.

I haven't included the fae photo, as I feel it's a gift, and in that sense relatively private, however if I see you  around and you would like to see it, I'll be more than happy to show you :).

This is 'The Greeting'  - the painting I did from the photo. It was created from around 60 % photo and 40 % intuition! When I was almost finished, I held it up to consider if what I had done was authentic, and after staring at the image questioningly for a a minute or so, I got a strong sense of the image smiling and 'speaking ' to me. So hopefully I was on the right path...

Another fae friendly friend of mine Fiona says that this image really speaks to her -  so perhaps if you have a few minutes to spare, you could see if you pick up anything whilst looking at this Tree Sidhe?  I'd be really interested to hear your thoughts, and/or anything you 'get' from this.

All in all it's been an honour to convey this image. :)

Laura xx

The Ladies of St Nectan's Glen - A Faerie Tale

This was something I meant to do around  6 months ago, to write the stories behind the paintings, especially when the paintings were created after a magickal/faerie experience. I recall in the last blog with this image which I posted in October 2011 that I included a poem I wrote after visiting St. Nectan's Glen in Cornwall last September:

The Lady of St. Nectan's Glen

Has eyes the colour of autumn leaves

Hair which feels like moss through the trees

Skin as pale as waterfall foam

A voice sweet as bells ringing

Calling me home

As the visit was a fair few months ago, I've decided to tell this story from the diary I wrote at the time...

Visiting St. Nectan's  Glen and Kieve Waterfall was the most enchanting and magical faerie experience. It is such a healing and wonderful place, I can't wait to visit again. The energy was otherworldly, and as I was walking through the forest, I knew I was piercing the veil into faerie. 

My initial feeling while walking through the trees, and hearing the gentle gush of the stream, was that this place needs protecting. It's a hidden pocket of magic, so rarely seen in this country these days. I wish the world was more like this place, this perfect place of magic, so far removed from our poisoned cities.

As we continued our walk the sound of the water fall became louder, I was in bliss, I could have happily set up camp and stayed there.We reached a cafe and house, owned by the family who own and care for the waterfall, it's for sale btw, for around a million or so! Not bad considering that the waterfall and all the land comes with it... imagine! 

There is a sacred shine next to the cafe -  a little sanctuary where the water gathers and many many people had hung prayers and votive offerings amongst the statues and rocks. This was apparently St. Nectan's cell, and it's definitely a place for quiet devotion and meditation.

As we descended  to the waterfall a wave of fae excitement tingled through my body. Keive waterfalls is the most beautiful Goddess like waterfall. Standing under the waterfall, with the cool water up to almost my knees, with my back pressed to the stone, I felt that I was held in the womb of the Goddess - protected, nurtured and healed.

The Lady of the Falls took me by the hands and danced with me - She said that I was one of them.

Me by the Waterfall - photo by Jetset Ballina

These two photos were taken moments apart - one no orbs, the next orbs everywhere!

 Truly magical.

The orbs which appeared on the photos show the unbelievable magic of the place. I feel fresh and alive in these beautiful places.  I hung my red ribbon votive and a little note to a branch amongst hundreds of others, of all shapes and sizes... including a rather bizarre bag piping Teddy...

In a bubble of joy and faerie dust -  I didn't want to leave.

My painting - The Ladies of St Nectan's Glen as I saw, felt and experienced them...

Do they speak to you? What do you sense when you look upon them?

Blessings,

Laura x

NB There are two things I wanted to add to this blog. One I forgot to mention when writing this, and the other thing I've learned since, through discussions on facebook with Rob Wildwood. 

Firstly what I forgot to mention is this -  the 'plan' for this painting was to paint one Lady (the one on the left), however whilst painting I felt the need to add the second Lady. After doing so I read some information about St Nectan, and when he died at the waterfall, two mysterious ladies 'appeared' and cared for his body, burying him in the bed of the waterfall.  Interesting! :)

Secondly there appears to be more to to 'Saint Nectan' than meets the eye :). Nectan or Nechtan is a Celtic God of Water, Wells and Wisdom - so perhaps the Water God and the Water Nymphs have an older and wiser history than is commonly documented! :)

The Land of the Lost Wolves

'The Land of the Lost Wolves' - is a BBC 1 documentary programme that started yesterday and concludes this evening. It provoked a strong reaction in everyone I spoke to who had watched it - with some frankly scary, archaic and evil attitudes towards wolves from a handful of Hunters and Rangers. There were some lovely and compassionate people too; the people who went out, searched and watched the Wolves seemed genuinely mesmerized and enchanted by them.

Calm, majestic and achingly beautiful Wolves possess a serenity, wildness, and unfortunately a sadness that shines brightly in stark contrast to certain cruel and blood thirsty morons.

And if I have to hear one more drawl of 'well you'd shoot a wolf it it attacked your family'... then I may scream and throw things at the TV. There are NO cases of Wolves attacking humans without being provoked. None - not one case on record since records began. Where as humans have driven Wolves to the edge of extinction on more than one occasion.

It's so saddening how much 'hate' there is towards Wolves, on facebook there are several pro wolf hunting pages and groups which show vile pictures and promote killing 'evil' and 'threatening' Wolves.

But there is a lot of support for Wolves too - and I hope that the Law will protect them and that people's negative attitudes can be changed.

This piece I painted in February this year and I realised I hadn't shared it on the blog. I have re named it to that of the TV show, as I feel it's a very apt and emotive title.It's acrylic and pen on Wood.
I hope you like it.

Also - Happy Full Moon in Libra -  I hope Selene and her Silver Light brings you harmony, alchemy, peace and joy!
Blessings x

The Huldra and Other Tails...

Hello.
Happy April to you -  I hope you are enjoying the sun and the blossoming trees. I love this time of year when life returns to the world, we all come out of hibernation, and plans and dreams begin to thaw and take root.

I've not blogged for a while and I'm wondering where on earth the last 3 months of 2012 have gone to! It's definitely shot by in the blink of an eye- it's been hectic busy, beautiful, sad and magical for me so far - however there is such a change in the air this year don'tcha think? It's like an electrical current charging through people, bringing on long desired shifts.

Anyway! Here's a few things I've been up to that you may be interested in...
I've got some new witchy videos and interviews on my YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/lauraredwitch and today we were out filming some more videos, which should be online within the next few days.


Over the past couple of months I've been doing a Graphic Novel course at the Princes Drawing School with the lovely Emily Haworth-Booth, which was exceptionally inspirational! The result of this is that I've been starting my first short Graphic Novel/Comic which I've named 'Huldra'. The first few pages of the comic is all inked up - and I'm realising that this inking milarky takes a lot of work! :) I'll be colouring it soon, and then I'll post a few pages on here. I'm rather excited about it all and have been boring my boyfriend senseless with the words 'my comic' for the last 10 weeks (isn't that a geek role reversal!!?).

So here is a painting of the lovely Huldra - this will appear in the comic, and will also feature along side an article by Helena Lundvik in an upcoming book on Faerie Queens by Avalonia Press.

The Huldra is a seductive Scandinavian forest fae being from folklore -  the root meaning of the name Huldra is 'secret' or covered. She is a guardian of the forest and a Lady of the animals, she was sometimes seen with a back like a hollow tree and often had a fox or cow's tail. In my story she has a foxes tail. Here is my painting of her...

I've also been doing Fire Dancing and I wanted to show you a video of me and my fiery partner in crime performing, but alas ... YouTube has swallowed it - so I'll hopefully find it and post another time!

Until next time!
Fae Blessings :)
Laura X