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A little bird told me to look for legends about the Blue tit. I found this old Cherokee Indian story about the Chickadee and the Titmouse (in UK the Chickadee is similar to a coal tit with it’s black cap and the Titmouse is like the Tufted Tit with it’s crested head, and all from…
This year it was so hot a phoenix arose from the sizzling sun Sunglasses on we tried to see it’s wings unfurl Still the bright golds burnt our eyes Taking it’s first flight we saw the feathers turning into flames And for all it’s beauty there lay a monster of our own image making wild…
I was inspired to make another owl after reading the Celtic tale of Blodeuwedd from the Celtic prose story ‘The Four Branches of the Mabinogi’. Blodeuwedd was the wife of Lleu Llaw Gyffes magically made of flowers by magicians, Math and Gwydion, since Lleu’s mother had cursed him and he was not able to have…
‘Birds of omen dark and foul, Night-crow, raven, bat, and owl, Leave the sick man to his dream – All night long he heard your scream’ from an Ancient Gaelic Melody by Sir Walter Scott As early man was fearful of the night it is not surprising that ancient stories depict the owl as a…
Yes, Yes, I know it is one of the songs on Robert Plant’s new album “Carry Fire” ! However, this time it was synchronicity, I had already made these by the time I heard of his new song! If you don’t understand this connection I have with Robert Plant then check out my last post!…
And so to the final one of the six birds! It’s Robert Plant, our wonderful living rock legend! I thought it would be nice to have someone who is still alive as inspiration for a guardian bird. I chose Mr. Plant because of his connections with Glastonbury and the Abbey itself. In 2014 for the…
The penultimate guardian bird of relics made for the Traces Revealed exhibition at Glastonbury Abbey. Born in Baltonsborough near Glastonbury, Saint Dunstan was guided by the Irish monks in the 10th Century A.D at Glastonbury Abbey. Later he became abbot of the Abbey. When he was canonised after his death, his patronage included metalsmiths, goldsmiths,…
It is said that the Irish Saint Brigid (of Kildare) visited Beckery chapel just outside Glastonbury in the 5th Century AD. Although the chapel is no longer there I went to find the hill (Brides mound) where it once was. I wish I had been in on the recent excavations where they re-found seven skeletons…
Legend has it that Saint Joseph of Arimathea came to Glastonbury to spread the Christian faith with the two cruets full of Christ’s blood and sweat. When he arrived he walked up Wearyall (now Wirral) hill and on reaching the top he stopped and exclaimed something like “Since we be weary all here we will…
And so the magic begins! …The Guardian birds have risen from their hidden hollows beneath the Tor . The precious relics tightly carried in their claws, to a place of safety in the Abbey, where pilgrims and folk from the kingdom of Somerset and beyond can gaze upon them in wonder. I chose to use…
I’ve been working flat out for several months and now find myself completely enclosed in a Medieval fantasy. It’s weird how the more you work on a theme the more mad and obsessed you become. However I have nearly finished the exhibits for this exhibition “Traces Revealed“. I’ll be exhibiting with two Somerset artists, Alicia…