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The Haunted Garden: Death and Transfiguration in the Folklore of Plants
From the Introduction:
"In my readings in mythology, folklore, and gardening I have come across myriad references to plants associated with tales of death, ghosts, and people transforming into flowers or trees. These tales are not about deaths caused by poisonous plants. Rather, they are strange stories and legends in which plants are intertwined with a human’s passage to another state of being. ... While this little book is hardly comprehensive on the subject, it is a choice sampler of a rather specific and arcane aspect of botanical lore."
People turning into plants.... Sheryl Humphrey's THE HAUNTED GARDEN is an informal collection of mysterious old botanical myths and legends. Explore this dark garden of folklore and the ancient tales of metamorphosis into flowers, trees, and herbs.
Book is available at http://www.etsy.com/listing/118819081.
"In my readings in mythology, folklore, and gardening I have come across myriad references to plants associated with tales of death, ghosts, and people transforming into flowers or trees. These tales are not about deaths caused by poisonous plants. Rather, they are strange stories and legends in which plants are intertwined with a human’s passage to another state of being. ... While this little book is hardly comprehensive on the subject, it is a choice sampler of a rather specific and arcane aspect of botanical lore."
People turning into plants.... Sheryl Humphrey's THE HAUNTED GARDEN is an informal collection of mysterious old botanical myths and legends. Explore this dark garden of folklore and the ancient tales of metamorphosis into flowers, trees, and herbs.
Book is available at http://www.etsy.com/listing/118819081.
79 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
3 people are currently reading
350 people want to read
About the author
Sheryl Humphrey
4 books1 followerAbout the Artist
Sheryl Humphrey is a painter living and working in Staten Island, New York. She attended Yale University, received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, and earned her Master of Fine Arts degree at Brooklyn College in 1998. Her work has been exhibited extensively in New York and across the country. Paintings by Ms. Humphrey are included in many public, private, and corporate collections, including Prudential Insurance, the El Paso Museum of Art, the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, and the Williamsburg Art & Historical Center in Brooklyn.
Artist's Statement
My paintings are representations of powerful forces that I sense within myself, in others, and in the world around me. I sometimes think of these paintings as portraits of the spirits of Nature; they reflect my visions of anthropomorphized energies at work in the universe.
I have been inspired by many past and present painters, especially from the early Italian Renaissance, the Symbolists, the Pre-Raphaelites, the Post-Impressionists, the Nabis, Art Nouveau, the Surrealists, and the Magic Realists. There is much work by Visionary, Psychedelic, and self-taught artists that I admire.
In-depth readings on the subjects of herbalism, alchemy, folklore, and mythology, in conjunction with close contact with Nature in my garden, are sources for the subjects of my paintings.
Sheryl Humphrey is a painter living and working in Staten Island, New York. She attended Yale University, received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, and earned her Master of Fine Arts degree at Brooklyn College in 1998. Her work has been exhibited extensively in New York and across the country. Paintings by Ms. Humphrey are included in many public, private, and corporate collections, including Prudential Insurance, the El Paso Museum of Art, the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, and the Williamsburg Art & Historical Center in Brooklyn.
Artist's Statement
My paintings are representations of powerful forces that I sense within myself, in others, and in the world around me. I sometimes think of these paintings as portraits of the spirits of Nature; they reflect my visions of anthropomorphized energies at work in the universe.
I have been inspired by many past and present painters, especially from the early Italian Renaissance, the Symbolists, the Pre-Raphaelites, the Post-Impressionists, the Nabis, Art Nouveau, the Surrealists, and the Magic Realists. There is much work by Visionary, Psychedelic, and self-taught artists that I admire.
In-depth readings on the subjects of herbalism, alchemy, folklore, and mythology, in conjunction with close contact with Nature in my garden, are sources for the subjects of my paintings.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
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February 18, 2013Neat compilation of plant folklore
April 19, 2021
This is a delightful little book, beautifully written about garden myths, folklore about plants, trees, herbs and flowers, and old folk traditions. It offers a lot to think about as one wanders through any garden, cemetery, or woodland.
November 18, 2020
Little more than an essay, but it has a good bibliography.
January 12, 2022
A quick and interesting read! A very well done and thoughtful collection of folklore.
July 27, 2022
One of the most dreamy and poetic plant folklore books written. I love that the focus is not on rustic spells but rather on Christian legend, myths from antiquity etc.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews