Music for Monday

Inspired by one of my favourite blog writers, over at  The Drawing Board , I would like to start sharing some of the music that lifts my heart and makes me feel creative. So here is the first band that always comes to my mind when asked what music I love: Ossian. They are a Celtic band from my childhood. My family used to go and listen to various folk bands playing live in our tiny west coast village halls. It was always wonderful and sometimes we would travel for over an hour up or down the coast to some other village where The Boys of the Loch, Ally Bain, Capercaillie or some other band were playing.


This grey Monday morning I am trying a bit of a strange operation - dip-dying a hat to change the colour of the crown as the lady who is buying it from me wants a black crown to her red brimmed hat rather than blue...

I have to do it at home as I haven't the facilities at  my studio for dying in a pot. I usually use a steamer and do space-dying. The strange set up with the woven willow ring that the hat brim is stitched to is to make sure that the brim stays out of the dye bath. I have my fingers in knots they are crossed so far! I have never tried to dye only one part of something before. It is bubbling away as I write...

Straight from the imagination - "The Aphonomantes' Box"

Gathering inspiration

I have been working on the first project for the second year of my City and Guilds Craft and design course. I am working to a deadline - it has to be finished by the end of November at the latest, and wow that pushes my buttons!

Usually if my inspiration gets low, or I run up against an unanswered 'how to' issue, I just stop and put the project to one side until I know what to do next! This time I am having to just push on through any hard places, and I have gone from the first wonderful "Oh what a beautiful idea!" all the way through "I can't do this!"(scream) and on into "I will, I shall, I can!!!"

beginning the first draft

playing with ideas

It's interesting to experience the stages of creativity so intensely, and to discover that it's possible to hunt out inspiration and push my way through resistance, confusion and the "can't do it" phase. I am now finally getting to the stage of really enjoying the process and feeling exhilarated and excited as it all begins to gel.

 For this project, I wanted to make a box belonging to a collector of silent songs and wordless stories. I am endlessly inspired by folklore and stories of all sorts, and have always felt that things have stories to tell if only I could listen well enough, perhaps with my eyes or my heart rather than the ears. It's this sense of unheard story that is what I want to attempt to convey with this piece.

The first big problem I ran up against was just how to depict this! What on earth is a silent song? How do you read a wordless story? I looked at Runes and Ogham, as although they are a form of writing, each individual character has a story embedded in it. From there I began to think about the Runic writing of things like a flight of birds, ripples on the water, twigs on a bare tree...

Wild Geese on the wing

 The next issue was what to call it, who is this strange person the I am making a collector's box for? I needed a word that doesn't exist... So I talked with a dear friend who is a qualified teacher of ancient Greek. Between us we came up with a new word that encapsulates the qualities that I feel belong to one who can collect and hear the silent and wordless songs and stories. She must be slightly, well, mad I guess. Perhaps she shares some of the qualities of a seer. She is one who listens so well that she can hear the Silent Songs of the World. She reads the story written by the graceful lines of age on the face of an Elder; the scribbled message left by a sand hopper when the tide is out; the long slow song of stone caressed by time and wind and water.

After a long hunt through my dear friends memory and dictionary she came up with this:

"So, I knew there was a cool Greek word for seer: it's mantes - mantes aphonos would be the seer without sound, but if you combine it to aphonomantes, which I think is better, you have the double meaning again: the seer of the soundless and the soundless seer."

And that was it. Love at first hearing!

After a bit more reserch I found that most translations of the Greek word Aphonos are "voiceless" whereas "speechless" is from the Greek "Alalos". However, I still feel that this is an appropriate meaning.
Mantes literally translated is "diviner"or more popularly "prophet" as is in the name given to the insect "Praying Mantis" (praying prophet). One definition of the word Mantes said it was "akin to the Greek word Mainesthai" which literally translates as "mad" (Mania). Perfect I think!

Painting the box parts a base colour.

 I certainly feel like I am going mad some of the time, I even work on this dratted, sorry, lovely box in my dreams! Perhaps next time I post I will be able to show you a real advance, and I won't feel quite so bats!

Introducing Ebony and my scattered life

Ebony sleeping.

Ebony is blind, has been since he was hit by a car as a wild and adventurous teen. However, this doesn't seem to stop him from having a fantastic life. When not curled up blissfully in a prime spot, he is out hunting and keeps my garden clear of rabbits and makes a big dent in the mice population.
Now why is a cat an important part of living a creative life? He keeps me grounded, sometimes going as far as to hook a claw in the back of my leg to bring me back to earth! He makes me laugh and reminds me of the importance of enjoying the little things in life like a spot by the fire, cuddles and play time.


Just now I really need his reminders as I have far too many things on the go at once. I am working flat out at the studio, trying to keep up with all the things that need making, to keep our little shop and gallery full - and at the same time I have my head full to the brim with my second year City and Guild's Craft and Design projects. Then there is the house and my large garden, time to spend with my lovely family and time needed for solitude to refresh the creative well. Yes, I am needing reminders to keep my head in the now and my feet on the ground.

Exploring Runes.

This is a page from my sketchbook for my next art piece. I am making a box that is inspired by collector's cases and apothecary's boxes. It belongs to a different kind of collector and doctor - one who collects silent songs and wordless stories. I will write more about "The Aphonomantes' Box" next time as it's now time to go and buy hens for my little sister's 18th birthday present!

This first post is short, I have no idea what my style will develop into or what I shall write about. Things will become clear no doubt! I just hope some of you will read and enjoy.