Artist's sketches, new and old and beginning.

The last couple of weeks have been beautifully sunny and very warm, sometimes reaching up to the mid 30s. Summer is here at last and the garden is looking amazing this year with all the flowers and our honey bees are doing their magic travelling from colour to colour. After finishing a few commissions this last month, I have had a look back at some of the sketches I have kept in my art draw and decided to draw with pencil and pen and ink to create small pieces of art. First I'll show the older sketches. A sketch for each month for 'Earth Pathways Diary' 2012. This morning I went for a wander through the woodland behind my house, 6am and everything gleaming in the summer dew. A few photos of the woods and garden before I show you the newer sketches. The few new. There is a folklore tale that inspired me to draw 'The Keeper of Special Things'. To cut a long story short, and once upon a time, a young princess was lured into a Kings ancient greek kingdom by the most beautiful bright and shiny jewels of crystal and gold. Not so long after, when her father found out he was so angry at her he changed her into a jackdaw. This is why the jackdaw loves bright and shiny things....but look at where she is now and what she has found. I might make this into a story to write soon.

Folklore and Fairy tale art exhibition invite.

This May my paintings and giclee prints are being shown in this wonderful art gallery, Obsidian Art.  While we were there, we had a look around at all of the beautiful art and felt a connection with the other artists here. I could have looked around for hours!  Please visit Obsidian Art Gallery whenever you can and feel the magic of every single art piece.

This exhibition in May is of 'Folklore and Fairy Tale'. 

Website:  www.obsidianart.co.uk

New Giclee prints of fairytales and folklore

During the long Winter months and icy cold nights I created a few new paintings inspired by folklore and fairytales.  By the end of February, I longed for the first signs of Spring after a beautiful 'Snow Queen' english Winter.  The first snowdrop flowers and crocus arrived, showing their faces to the sun.

Crystal and Amber by Amanda Clark 2013.

By the Blue Moon by Amanda Clark 2013.

Moonlit Tale by Amanda Clark 2012.

Luna by Amanda Clark 2012.

The First Snow by Amanda Clark 2012.

Shea by Amanda Clark 2012.

These original paintings are for sale and giclee prints will be available very soon . I am working on a new website for my original paintings and giclees so you will be able to see these and more in a few weeks.
Please contact me with any enquires, email:  amandaclark@hotmail.co.uk.

Postage free on these three! (In my etsy shop.)

Meeting Damh.

Moonlit Hare

I'm going to see if sales improve on these three prints with postage free for a while, and maybe add or change the prints  later.  Think I'll give it one month from now and see what happens.

Winter Fairy Tales in August!

East of the sun and West of the moon.

This month ...still in August I know. I have been reading wintery tales and folklore and one of my favorites has got to be a Norwegian tale, East of the Sun and West of the Moon.  Even the title of this story brings amazing images to my heart and mind.  Some how it reminds me of winter and the cold feel of the North wind.   How did I ever miss this one as a child!  The young girl in this story saves the prince! 
I have seen many illustrations for this fairy tale and I wanted to try to capture the feel of the story  as a painting.  I have the perfect frame for it too. Chunky white wood with an inner frame of icy soft gold.

Shaman Flight.

Ok, so we all know that 'Santa' is a shaman in folklore, right?  Usually the rein deer would fly with him after both eating the mushroom, 'Fly Agaric' . So if this mushroom did give the rein deer visions and altered states of their usual rein deer happenings, maybe they would see themselves as unicorns as well as the magical ability to fly! Anything is possible. In any case, shamans must know about the unicorn and all matter of magical, mythical creatures so who knows where the rein deer must have taken him!

Winter's Dream.

The inspiration for this painting is from the fairy tale of the 'Ice Queen'. Another tale I seem to have missed as a child but seem to remember images somewhere down the years.  Winter is a time to go inward to a creative and meditive space of which I'm really looking forward to.  This Summer has been so busy with all the running around and crazy fun.  Autumn isn't far away. It will soon be time to slow down and dream those far away dreams.

Celtic Festivals

We are into August already and the berries and fruit trees are ripening early this year. Soon I'll be getting ready to gather as many empty glass jars as I can for jams and pickles to last for the 4 or 6 months ahead.  Already there are black currants, plums, crab apples, tay berries and in a couple of weeks the elderberries.  Last year we make hedgerow jelly with rosehips, haw berries and black berries.  Pear and cider apple chutney, and a few others that I can't remember the wonderful things we put in. The veg garden is growing in abundance and all around us countryside is bursting with wild food for foraging.
Sitting in the garden drinking mint and lemon balm tea from the wild knot of herbs, I wonder what adventures our family blackbirds have had this summer. Always meeting me at dawn with their song and never far away during the day. Their beautiful singing balancing the energies of the new day.

Early last Spring I started painting the Celtic Festivals and have finally finished all 8. I love the colours of the seasons here in the UK. The warm bronze and rusts, golds and earthy browns of Samhain to the gentle yellows, greens and violets of Ostara.  I will soon have all of these ready for prints and I'll be making card sets for the 'Wheel of the Year'.

Inspirations and illustrations

I've been thinking lately of a book to create of the inspirations for my work.  I need your help.
What would you most like to see in this book, paintings, illustrations, fairytale, folklore, tree moons and goddesses?  Information on animal totems and meanings?  Ideas of sacred, healing gardens for your own use and meditations?  All of this and the 'wheel of the year' associations and the tree ogham.
Here are a few illustration for this book.    Looks like I'm gonna be busy for a while, but I will keep you posted on my progress.