Heathens, Pagans and Witches discussion

I have a hunch that this group has a high ratio of artists in it, so I'm opening this thread for the discussion of magic and art.

“Anyway, Art [making] is a magic which makes the hours melt away and even days dissolve into seconds, isn't that so, dear lady?”
Leonora Carrington

I tend to find I go into a trance-like state when I'm creating art. I follow inner voices and I'm often surprised with the results. I'm exhausted by the end of it--drained--but usually pretty satisfied too.

I'd love to hear of other people's approaches and whether they find a similar thing happening. What's your stance on magic and art?

I wasn't until you mentioned him, Jaq. :) Just looking him up now. Love his work. Thanks!

Here is his GR link for anyone else who is interested: Austin Osman Spare

I have no skills in the art deparatment, but I have my favourites, one of which is Sarah Lawless.

Gorgeous work. Found and watching her on DA too. :)

Love to get my thoughts together enough to reply to this question, but at the moment making Art is a distant dream...

It's cathartic for me. If I bottle it up, I go a bit batty. :)

Well, I am slightly deranged at the moment :)

Jaq wrote: "Are you familiar with Austin Osman Spare?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXOt21...
Alan Moore knows the score...as a man once sang...

Old-Barbarossa wrote: "Jaq wrote: "Are you familiar with Austin Osman Spare?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXOt21...
Alan Moore knows the score...as a man once sang..."

That was wonderful. Love his work and his attitude. Thanks!

Been thinking, and I had to come back to add that I'm not surprised that Austin Spare is still mainly unrecognised for his contribution to art, some fifty years after his death.

The art world runs on an Emperor's New Clothes premise--what's being shown, discussed, or written about, is secondary to WHO is doing the showing, or discussing etc. It's the reason I walked out on my art career, ten years ago. You want to get ahead in the art world today, prepare to smooze, and you had better be good at writing and theorising. At art school we called ourselves bullsh*t artists (B.A) and we learnt the talk.

It is also interesting that although artists are making more money from art nowadays, we are receiving less. The inner circle of curators, gallery owners and art theoreticians filter it through, while we madly perform for them.

Oops, bit of a sour slant eh, but true. Art's one of the only things that allows me to still feel remotely free. I have my beeswax on the stove now. :)

I regularly make art "in conversation" with my dreams. It's exciting to "watch" my dreams respond to the art I make. It's definitely my main spiritual practice right now!

can highly recommend Thomas Sheridan' s art. I have a lot of his Dreamscapes prints. they just ooze magic.

Tristy wrote: "I regularly make art "in conversation" with my dreams. It's exciting to "watch" my dreams respond to the art I make. It's definitely my main spiritual practice right now!"

How does it work, Tristy? Does a piece of art get started first and develop along with dreams until it's finished? Or do the dreams mirror the art in its various stages?

Emma wrote: "can highly recommend Thomas Sheridan' s art. I have a lot of his Dreamscapes prints. they just ooze magic."

Here's a link for anyone not familiar with his art:

Thomas Sheridan

Emma wrote: "can highly recommend Thomas Sheridan' s art. I have a lot of his Dreamscapes prints. they just ooze magic."

Looking at his work now Emma. :)

Tristy wrote: "I regularly make art "in conversation" with my dreams. It's exciting to "watch" my dreams respond to the art I make. It's definitely my main spiritual practice right now!"

I find this fascinating too. A friend of mine is an art therapist. She says it's the art making process that's so important for artists, not necessarily the exhibition that comes after. Also I have been told that dream state actions release similar endorphins etc, and so echo the action in the waking world. So you are engaging in the art making process in your dreams, and probably benefiting from it in the same way you would if you were doing it in the waking world. My early morning thoughts on it anyway.

Or do you make art, dream about it, and gain more ideas in your dreams that continue the process? I do this a lot. I have been having wax and bone poppet dreams for the past few months! :0

Anyway I would love to hear more about it, Tristy!:)

When I was riding the subway in Toronto, I started hallucinating that each of the subways stations had an entity attached to it, who presided over the neighbourhood or burrow attached to it, and these images were inspired by the names of the stations.

Note the resolution is terrible. I lost my digital camera, so this is taken with my phone.

Although I didn't consciously try to make it symbolic, Pape is both the Greek nieghbourhood, and also the New-Age district. This figure is meant to be a female pope, or a Papessa. However, I started seeing this image, of a young woman in a headress and robes every time I passed the Pape station, long before I knew any of this. I've had these images since I was a child, and this was the first time it occurred to me, that they might be magical.

She'd make a wondrous tarot card, Aaron. You could do one for each of 22 of the subway stations and you'd have the major arcana - you could call it The Magical Underground Tarot :)

I agree on the tarot cards idea. :) And re magic and art, what about Leonardo 's drawings of things to come?

http://inventors.about.com/od/dstarti...

There's a tradition with art students in the belief that Leonardo created the Turin Shroud - its magic endures to the present day.

Little wrote: "I've been working on a series of wax poppets..."

Beautiful and disturbing, Little.

Thanks Bryn. :):) They are creepy aren't they? The wax is so fleshy. I get very odd looks when I'm searching the area for bones too. :)

They're amazing, Little. I shall be thinking about them all day...

I'm in awe Gina. A very appropriate creation for Samhain.

Thank you both! :):) I'm halfway through another Belle at the moment. She's in a kick boxing pose: skirt rucked up and fists ready. She just arrived in my head and demanded a body. I'm thinking of her as my Kick Butt Belle. :)

Little wrote: "I've been working on a series of wax poppets.

I meant to say days ago how much I love these! I did persona dolls for a time, but they're nowhere near being in your class. Great stuff!

Thanks Minsma. :):) Working on two witches in flight now. :D

Persona dolls for teaching children? I can't sew for nuts. Not my medium but I admire those who can.

Persona dolls for teaching children? I can't sew for nuts. Not my medium but I admire those who can."

No, persona dolls for ritual work. It's another name for poppet, I guess. And they're not sewn (I can' sew). They're assemblages from bone and material and paint and whatever interesting scraps are around. I've been trying to find a picture of one of mine but no luck so far.

Minsma wrote: "Persona dolls for teaching children? I can't sew for nuts. Not my medium but I admire those who can."

No, persona dolls for ritual work. It's another name for poppet, I guess. And they're not sewn..."

Got you. Would love to see them!

Odin on the World Tree:

"The Order of ChAOS presents...
A METAMORPHIC RITUAL THEATRE PRODUCTION

The FEAST of VALHALLA PART II"

http://www.crossroads.wild.net.au/lep...

Brilliantly inspired, Gina :)

Thanks for Odin on the World Tree - it looks amazing - saving to dive into later when I've time.

Thanks Nell:):)

Beautiful and amazing, Gina :)

I know what you mean about exhibiting - I lost interest years ago. I don't think it's just that the Internet is an easy alternative - for me it's more a feeling that I just don't need that sort of achievement any more.

Those are FABULOUS, Gina. Beautiful, profound, mysterious. Makes me itch to make things once more. I'll just have to live vicariously for awhile.

I'm almost at the post-exhibit phase myself but have not yet achieved that liberation. Looking forward to it.

Thanks Nell and Minsma!

Nell wrote: "Beautiful and amazing, Gina :)

I know what you mean about exhibiting - I lost interest years ago. I don't think it's just that the Internet is an easy alternative - for me it's more a feeling that..."

Yes, I think that's it exactly Nell. I used to focus on the exhibition process. My stance was that I was only as good as my next exhibition--an attitude that was both downright silly and pretty unhealthy too. It came from insecurity and the need for approval I think. I had to prove myself worthy somehow, but really I was just chasing my tail.

I do find the internet liberating though, as I can put new work onto my website and have it up within days of completion, then I get on to the next work. This way my focus has shifted to the art making process, which is the best part and certainly the most beneficial to me and my mental state. :)

Minsma wrote: "Those are FABULOUS, Gina. Beautiful, profound, mysterious. Makes me itch to make things once more. I'll just have to live vicariously for awhile.

I'm almost at the post-exhibit phase myself but ha..."

I think that's the joy of art too Minsma, the moments in our lives when we can't spare the time to make art, are the moments when we gather thoughts and experiences that provide the absolutely vital ingredients for future art. It's all good, but yes, sometimes frustrating too! Wishing you some spare time to put all those thoughts into form again. :)

Hi, I seem to have a different approach to art and paganism. I used to try and do original works but I just ended up feeling like I'd created a language that no-one but me could actually understand. That's when I got interested in the more traditional arts of the Celts and Vikings; and the whole notion of what traditional art really is.
To start off with I will copy a whole load of artifacts (metalwork, wood & stone carvings etc) and then when I feel that I've got the hang of it I will try and create my own versions of the motifs but converted to my own graphic style - as my favourite medium is black-and-white pen drawings.
If anyone would like a look there is an assortment of my earlier artworks on my Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/gavin.white....
For me it is another way of attuning to past cultures and of starting to ask questions about the meanings of the recurrent images and icons that each tradition develops in its own way. As such, I almost treat my art as an investigative tool which helps me connect to my roots; at best it can open up new avenues of ideas that can be related to what I have learnt from reading ancient texts.
All the best, Gavin

Gavin wrote: "Hi, I seem to have a different approach to art and paganism."

Your work sounds amazing, but I can't view Facebook. I think your approach is absolutely valid and important. I used to do tradition-based art, but in my case it was based on Native American tradition. I learned a tremendous amount from it, both in an art sense and a soul sense. So, yes! An investigative tool. Best to you.

Amazing art Gavin!

I'm not a Facebook member, so can't see them either Gavin - but I love your in-depth approach and your artwork sounds wonderful.

All right, thought I'd share, rather than just talking about it. This is a medicine shield I did based on Native American tradition, before I knew what I was doing (still not sure I know):

http://bit.ly/Kz6BgZ

And here's a closer look:

http://bit.ly/19IH6FT

What's funny about this is that I had a powerful dream about a wolf jumping out of a fire and did this piece. I later learned from my teacher that some tribes believe the wolf was responsible for bringing the ability to make fire to the tribe. I didn't know that at the time of the dream.

Then again, there was the little old lady who looked at this, scowled, and said, "Just why is that dog on fire?" *shrug*

I love the shield Minsma! Just gorgeous! (And a very funny reaction from the old woman :D)

Minsma said: "some tribes believe the wolf was responsible for bringing the ability to make fire to the tribe"
That's a powerful image, thank you for sharing it Minsma. It reminds me of the Norse myth where the sun and moon are both chased through the skies by their own wolves. At the end of the mythic cycle the wolves will catch and devour their quarry before the world is reborn.

Little wrote: "I love the shield Minsma! Just gorgeous! (And a very funny reaction from the old woman :D)"

Thanks, Gina! She did give a certain perspective to the work. ;D

Gavin wrote: "For the sensible people who don't have anything to do with Facebook here is a different link to some of my artwork.
http://solariapublications.wordpress......."

Ah, the frustration. Wordpress is demanding a password.

Gavin wrote: "Minsma said: "some tribes believe the wolf was responsible for bringing the ability to make fire to the tribe"
That's a powerful image, thank you for sharing it Minsma. It reminds me of the Norse m..."

Thanks. And that's very interesting about the Norse legend, which I also hadn't heard of. (I spent way too much time on Greek/Roman/Sumerian.)

Minsma - hopefully third time lucky. I've now uploaded my art images to my Goodreads photo profile. Would have made sense to do this first time round.
Gavin

That's a powerful image for a shield, Minsma. It reminds me of the Fire Card in the Minchiate 'tarots', which depict a dog, or sometimes a wolf, actually in a fire.

Gavin wrote: "Minsma - hopefully third time lucky. I've now uploaded my art images to my Goodreads photo profile. Would have made sense to do this first time round.
Gavin"

Victory! And definitely worth the wait. I'm not much of a draw-er myself, being more of a tactile person, so I certainly appreciate the skill and beauty of these. I like them all, but I particularly like the Celtic and Sumerian inspired things. Thanks for sharing.

Nell wrote: "That's a powerful image for a shield, Minsma. It reminds me of the Fire Card in the Minchiate 'tarots', which depict a dog, or sometimes a wolf, actually in a fire."

Thanks, Nell. And thanks for posting that picture. Very interesting.

I've come to the conclusion that firewolves must be archetypal because there are depictions in a number of different cultures—I just happened to have been completely ignorant of that back then and experimenting in Native American tradition.

My wolf was inspired by this guy, Los Lobos being a favorite band back in the day.

Fabulous Gavin! Are you creating a Norse tarot? You already have Strength and the Magus and Odin is the Hanged Man, except that he's not actually hanging in that image. Aegir looks like the Emperor.