Hare of the Moon Luna Fox
Luna Stag
This is my second post for the pagan blog project and I'm realising that they're going to be quite personal and I hope that's ok?
So for my second focus on the letter 'A' I've chosen Art. As a Pagan and an Artist, art is a very important part of my spirituality. My inspiration and influences generally come from my Faith and the Land around me. Be it our moonlit skies, dawn horizons and mostly our Sacred Animals. I use a very unusual medium though, as well as paint, which the backgrounds of my canvases are painted with. I use Mother of Pearl, Pewter and other gemstones. The Moon's that feature within my work are all created from Mother of Pearl and the Animals Pewter. They're then married together upon canvas.
My first solo exhibition was titled 'By The Light of The Moon' the Moon is a very important part of my spiritual practise and a fantastic inspiration. From the breathtaking way, on a Full Moon, She hangs in the sky lighting the land and creating moon shadows. To the dark limitless sky when She's hidden away, till the evening you catch that first tiny sliver in the sky and I generally exclaim "look, the first crescent!!!" She's a fantastic muse indeed! My other big draws, no pun intended, are our Sacred Animals and Gods and Goddess....although I have tended to focus more on the beasties. Within my titles you'll find Hares, Stags, Crows/Ravens, Wolves, Horses, Bee's....a real menagerie! Mainly British beasts so far....but this years focus will be looking at more far off lands, the snowy places to be more precise and the haunting, dream filled sky that the Aurora Borealis creates. Very much looking forward to what that adventure in art brings!
My images come to me within my dream states and meditations (but sometimes also doing the most mundane jobs too). I then tend to sit and draw, working out the proportions and placements of Spirals. Spirals...another big influence for me...but that's another story ;o) Spirals are, in my opinion, Life Force, the very essence of our beings and every piece of my work contains them, because its the depth of our very being...The Spiral of Life. I then start to work the animal into pewter. I use a very special, soft sheet pewter that has taken me many years to source. No presses or moulds are used to produce the pewter beasties, just tiny wooden tools and many hours of work. Sometimes eyes of haematite are added depending on the profile. The pewter process is the most fluid and relaxing part of the process, the painting the most joyful and passionate. In the end its a work of balance as well as a work of art.
This is just a small taster of what my art and spirituality combined mean to me. Pagan artwork, like the Pagan pathway is such a personal journey for each and every artist and art lover a like. Its a very exciting field to work within, with so many wonderful and inspiring people creating within it. Its always wonderful seeing through each artists eyes how they see the moon, stars and sun. How a Sacred Hare may come to them or how Brighid may present herself. Beauty and Spirituality all rolled into one creative piece!
You can find more of my work available in Etsy The Antlered Road Shop
