No post yesterday as we had a power cut, probably due to the rains that fell all day.
I thought I’d say something about the pictures used in my header ~ they’re all by me & use coloured pencil, pen & ink or encaustic. The 2 pictures that occur at the ends are designs for an embroidery. They are, in fact, 4 pictures showing traditional Gypsy themes or symbols & one day will be embroidered on a 6′ long red silk waist sash. I drew these pictures whilst on a part-time course at college to get my BTec in Forest School Skills when I had waiting time. On the left hand side there is a Reading Vardo at the top (mine is a Bow-Top) & a fiddle & bow, neckerchief, & knife in the lower picture. On the right at the top is the picture that I think of as Marzhenzha or Smelka. Marzhenzha is a Russian Gypsy song that tells of a Gypsy maid in love with dancing & not the swain that dresses in his finest to try to woo her. Smelka is the family’s name of 1 of the most famous contemporary Russian Gypsy dancers; it is also the title of a piece of music written to celebrate her by 1 of her relatives & a friend of mine. It also celebrates the wild freedom I get from the dancing which is where my name comes from. (My mother was a dancer & my younger daughter is continuing the tradition). The bottom picture is the centre design & is the fire ~ the heart of every camp, not just the Gypsy camp.
Inside of these designs in coloured pencil are 2 of the Stations: 1 from the 1999 set (the right hand 1) & 1 from the 2007-8 version. These are drawn using pen & ink & as most of my arty-crafty stuff is still buried in a 20′ container my poor parents received a frantic email asking for help in acquiring dip pen & nibs & black ink ~ things that was I unable to source in this area ~ so I could fulfill my commission.
On the left side next to the Station is a card I drew/painted for my “hen-lady” ~ my wonderful source of henniness that I found & who befriended me just as we were both leaving Othery. I used encaustic for it, but mainly drew using a heated stylus instead of the more usual iron to soften & apply the wax.
On the right hand side is my latest offering ~ a special picture for a very special lady. I’m a member of the Walker Tracker community online & have met some interesting people on this site. We have a frienfdly rivalry going concerning how far we walk each day. I sent Christesmas cards to some of my friends there, but hadn’t got Debby’s address. She said that she’d love a card, no matter how long it took to reach her. Debby was diagnosed with breast cancer & had to travel routinely from her Norwegian island to the mainland for treatment. As Christesmas had been & gone I wanted to do a Debby card, but needed to finish my commission first, so that pushed it further away from Christesmas. The idea came suddenly & I had to draw it there & then or I’d be plagued until it was drawn. The pencil sketch was made months before the inking started & once again had I to source inks. I just bought whatever colours I could find as soon as I spotted them lurking in shops. Paul who commissioned the Stations brought me over a marvellous present of drawing inks when he came over to Ireland to collect the pictures. I’d asked him for a bottle of yellow ink & received a set. Throughout her treatment, Debby kept walking, often putting me to shame with what she was doing. Her treatment is over & successful, now there’s no stopping her. She truly is an inspiration to the rest of us.
The central picture was made using encaustic wax & an iron. The initial swirling shapes suggested the detail ~ waves with horses forming out of them. The original of this picture went to a friend in Greece..
