You will be able to see this painting and the preparatory sketches at my next Open Studios event on 8th, 9th and 10th May 2020.
This recently completed painting is called ‘Diod Anfarwaldeb – The Draught of Immortality’, inspired by an ancient herbalist recipe for long life, said to be invented by the Druids of Anglesey. The recipe includes Vervain and Clover, two of seven sacred herbs of the early celtic priesthood. It also includes Chervil, Heather and Honeysuckle. The painting is a composition including all the plants in the recipe, and through it I’m aiming to capture some of the energy and ‘magic’ of the plants, reflecting aspects of their healing and aesthetic qualities.
To prepare for the painting I spent time in 2019 gathering information, photographs and drawings of the plants included in the composition that I could use as reference material. These I found in the countryside around me, at Falkland Palace Physic Garden and at The Herbalist Garden near Kirriemuir. You can see some images below:
I used Photoshop to experiment with ideas for my composition – I find it an amazing tool when thinking about how to put paintings together. You can see an example here:
