'Red Kite I,' sunflashing wings from a pot of gold...

I've been enjoying doing the odd Kells style bird lately - inspired from the wonderful Book of Kells, you've seen a few here already. I got the old metal leaf out for this one...! (a heck of a lot cheaper than real gold for experimenting!) I'm not sure what the little ivory handled tool was for originally, but its great for embossing the gold. Some of those original ancient illuminated manuscripts must have had gilding...

Since our recent trip to Wales a few weeks back the magnificent Red Kite has been brushing my thoughts with sun flashing wingtips and wilderness cries on the wind...
I thought it would be interesting to try and see if I could stylise one in the Kells way, but I was torn between being faithful to the natural markings of the real bird or digressing to the more decorative elements you see in the fantastical Book of Kells birds.
I ended up going for somewhere in the middle but had mixed feelings throughout really about whether I've captured anything of the spirit of this beautiful bird or just ended up with a rather over-decorative design...
What do you think?

I think I'm going to make this 'Red Kite I' and maybe do a short series to see where it goes... I did enjoy making him...

Using the metal leaf was interesting, I hadn't tried that before but we had some in the workshop so it made its way home and into my painting. I embossed a little design on the sun with the ivory handled tool in the first pic.
Then of course I had to try all kinds of angles to try and photograph it, trickier than I thought!

This last pictures a bit murky but does show up how bright the gold shines when the light strikes it... I think if I ever had prints made of this kind of thing I would hand embellish them with the metal leaf to keep that effect.
I really must put aside the playing around with Celtica soon and get on with some serious work, there are several projects that have been waiting far too long!
I would be interested to hear what you make of my Red Kite and the gold though, do please feel free to comment freely!

A lovely surprise in the post!

Look what I got in the post today!
I was lucky enough to have my name pulled out of the hat for Milly's giveaway over at her beautiful blog 'Drawings From Nature' and what a lovely surprise - I got a lot more than I was expecting!
I've thoroughly enjoyed following her blog over the last year or so and love her beautiful paintings of the objects she gathers from the landscape and the seashore. If you have not visited yet, do pop over and have a look! Search back for her Oak project and her Berry sketchbooks too, they're fantastic...

And knowing how much I love feathers, it was a lovely thought to have a real one tucked in amongst the cards too, thankyou so much Milly I love the cards and the feather!

Snow White as you've not seen her before...

This is a great video by German metal band Rammstein with a rather darker version of the Snow White story which has always amused me, they do it with such solemnity too.
So if you don't mind a wee bit of heavy metal....



For those of you that might have liked this clip, this band do another brilliantly dark video to their song 'Rosenrot', here... Really well done bit of visual story telling (because I can't understand the German lyrics!) Think of an edgier Germanic Cadfael!

For baby Leo... and some quirky creations...

Here's a little painting for a little baby boy called Leo obviously! As you can see from the date of birth it has taken me a while to get around to it, but hopefully his Mum and Dad will like it... it will be a surprise present for them and a good excuse to go visiting for a cuddle!
Here's some close ups... I left my camera at work so had to resort to my somewhat dodgy scanner!



I have another one to do for some more friends who recently had a gorgeous little baby girl, so the sooner I get my brushes out the sooner I can go cuddling!

And now, especially for Kate of Kit and Kaboodle, heres a collection of quirky creatures as made by my daughter Elora when aged 6...
You may spot a two-tailed fox, a Nessie and a battle droid (from Star Wars) all her own patterns and stitches...

And of course the famous Pteradactyl! Hehehehe...

Kites flying and flying kites...

Here's another little Kells inspired bird I painted while we were in Wales the other week, though I have it in mind to try stylising a Red Kite into one of these.
The first Red Kite I ever saw was on a little mountain road the first time we went to Wales several years ago. It swooped up on a thermal so close from behind a dry stone wall right beside us in the car... I've been in love with them ever since and always associate them with the rocky green wildness of Wales. This last time I was really pleased that we saw seven Red Kites on separate occassions along the coastal roads, all their lovely markings underlit by the sun and that splendid V-shaped tail. I have a love for birds of prey in general but the Kite really is magnificent!

And so, I know its a poor link... but it was my eldest daughter's Seventh Birthday today! How time flies, it really does!
We always seem to end up flying our kites after all the party guests have gone home on the first of May in the big field across the lane by our house, and today Elora flew hers all by herself for the first time - hooray for being seven!


Even little sister gave it a fair shot bless her, with a little help from Grandma!

Hope you manage to make the most of the May Day bank holiday tomorrow :)