July 04, 2013

Playing hide & seek with my muse . . .

My creative muse is a fae wee creature, she wont be hurried, she takes her time & tarries along.
 She is flighty & when my days are filled with otherness she often goes into hiding
To coax her out I have found the very best thing is to be still & quiet & spend time in mother nature.
The perfect solution presents itself on the rare balmy, beautiful days we have had here in SW Scotland.
Then I pile my sketchbooks & pencils into my basket, make myself a coffee & step outside to work,
to the accompaniment of the bees, the birds & the babbling brook. It often starts the flow again.
When a spark of an idea ignites I carry it with me like a precious jewel savouring the hows & the whys & the what if's.  
Yet there is part of me that  holds back from setting it free, for my paintings are the  essence of me,
they come from somewhere deep inside and each time I wonder can I make it, will it work, what if?
 
 A sly shove from my muse & I let that idea go then real work begins, as I try to capture it with my brush & pen.
 It has to be just right & so often causes me heartache when a painting goes awry.
I start a piece & often find I have to set it aside until the time is right to add finishings.
"The Travellers" above & below was one such piece & has taken me more days than I care to count.
Brought out & then tucked away again as I hummed & hawed this past year or so.
I wanted it to carry the essence of companionship, two travellers walking in the gloaming, a peaceful moment.
Now finally it is finished & I can breathe a sigh of relief & happiness.
"The Travellers" is now available as prints here at Mythweaver, my Etsy on-line store. 
The painting is dedicated to my dear Grandma Day who told us endless stories & sang to us as children.
It was she who sang to me the beautiful song "The Wraggle Taggle Gypsies"
 and it was this song that first roused my interest & led me on a path to discover
more about the fascinating folklore & song & the history of travelling folk of old.
 


The Wraggle Taggle gypsies performed by Eliza Carthy, Martin Carthy, Norman Waterson & co. Beautiful.
 Some loveliness to share from my garden too x


It is not always an easy thing to be creative and many stages must be passed through before a thing of beauty that fulfills the dream is born. There are ups & downs, highs & lows, but through it all is an unending yearing to give birth to the product of your imagination, in whichever form it takes

Thank you certain folks for prompted me to ponder my own creative process a little more. x

9 comments:

  1. So lovely to hear that - in an age where so many things are churned out - your creativity has such a thoughtful process behind it. Love the picture and absolutely love the Carthy family. Great post x Jane

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  2. This is a very heartening post, as my muse has a tendency to flee as well! I love your travellers piece, especially the colours in the horse's mane - really lovely.

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  3. I feel like I've been chasing my muse recently Ruthie..
    Love the new painting!
    xx

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  4. Some wonderful images of gorgeous Galloway Ruthie. Your art is quite wonderful too.
    I too remember the Raggle Taggle Gypsy from school, I was over in Ireland in the early 90's when the Waterboys album was all the rage. I believe they have to play it every live show nowadays.

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  5. I think your creative processes are going well, Ruthie (with ups and downs and highs and lows .... all "part of the job" ;-) !!)

    Fun music !

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  6. Lovely post, Ruthie -- So true what you say about having to wait for one's creative muse...and how Nature so often opens the door for it.

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  7. Such an insightful post, Ruthie .
    I very much enjoyed it . The beautiful painting, and the clip of music ~ I have an affinity with olden gypsies and horses, so all the more intriguing.
    Inspired I am.

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  8. I love visiting your blog ... so inspiring and an example of living life as an artist in everything you do. LOVE the paintings. So beautiful and enchanting!

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  9. I'm so happy to have found your blog...I will be traveling to Scotland before the year is over.

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