The Salvation Wagon

Traveling gospel peddlers inspired by a late 19th century photograph of the same subject.
Work in progress.

The Salvation Wagon

Painting in progress inspired by a vintage photograph of an itinerant gospel/ temperance peddler of the late 19th century.

St. Stephen's Day

The widow on the left is also holding a dead wren. According to lore, St. Stephen was about to escape his captivity when a wren woke up his captors. Since that time, a wren was caught and killed each St. Stephen's Day because it must now take a part of his martyrdom.
You can see the completed  St. Stephen's Day Painting at My Good Babushka.

The Bellman of the Dead

I wanted to make his long trailing robe split to resemble an earwig's posterior. I thought it would add to his macabre appearance. The Bellman of the Dead , original painting is available, and also Bellman of the Dead prints are available. Hope you stop by My Good Babushka, art, embroidery and jewelry today.

Saint Anastasia Protectress Against Poisons and Patroness of Weavers

This is my painting of Saint Anastasia, a Christian saint and martyr who died at Sirmium. She is a healer and an exorcist. Her relics lie at the Cathedral of St. Anastasia in Zadar, Croatia. There will be much to describe in this painting. I hope to explain it bit by bit as I proceed.

Brine

Some nice pictures of my work in progress. This piece is called "Brine". If you are interested in the folklore that inspired this piece, please see yesterday's post.

Brine

Started blocking in color for my painting of three young persons, somewhat androgynous, cherubic things, floating about in a jar of preservative. This is based on my reading of the lore of St. Nicholoas and the apocryphal story of him resurrecting three children who had been murdered and stored in brine.

Brine

I was researching the folklore around St. Nicholas and came across the story about him resurrecting three young people who had been killed and put in brine barrels, according to some lore, they were going to be cooked and eaten. Nicholas restored these young people to life through his faith. I have grappled with sketching this in some fashion, but I wanted to make it accessible and interesting to people who are not particularly interested in St. Nicholas. I settled for sketching three young people in a specimen jar. This would be prior to the resurrection. I like the repetitiveness of the similar figures, and I like making long, elegant fingers, wafting about in formaldehyde, perhaps.

Saint Andrew's Parade

Inspired by my readings of The Golden Legend, readings on the saints, by Jacobus de Voragine. Saint Andrew was purported to drive seven demons in the shape of dogs out of Nicaea, but then when he came to the next town, the dogs had killed a young man and he was about to be buried. St. Andrew raised that man from the dead.

At Stratton in Cornwall, on St. Andrew's Day, the youth would parade through town blowing unmelodious horns and strumming tin pans to drive out evil spirits. The handbell ringers follow to invite better, gentler spirits. (From The Dictionary of Faiths and Folklore. Beliefs, Superstitions and Popular Customs compiled by W.C. Hazlett) There is a pretty 12th century Norman church dedicated to St. Andrew there.

St Andrew is invoked to ward off wolves, the enemy of travelers, who are thought to be able to speak to humans on St. Andrew's Eve (Nov 29). A human hearing a wolf speak to him will die. I've used these ideas in the painting, mixing the sacred and profane, the superstitious traditions, the magical and the divine. Here is my St. Andrew's Day parade that is agitating the seven dogs. Maybe demons. Maybe just dogs baying along to the cacophony on the itinerant band. Acrylic on canvas 9" x 13"

You can see the listing Here at My Good Babushka.

St. Andrew's Parade

St. Andrew's Parade painting is still in progress. You can read yesterday's post if you are interested in St. Andrew and the folklore surrounding his story.

For your enjoyment, here is a lovely late winter sunset.

St. Andrew's Parade

Work continues on my St. Andrew's Parade painting. Inspired by my readings of The Golden Legend, readings on the saints, by Jacobus de Voragine. Saint Andrew was purported to drive seven demons in the shape of dogs out of Nicaea, but then when he came to the next town, the dogs had killed a young man and he was about to be buried. St. Andrew raised that man from the dead.

 At Stratton in Cornwall, on St. Andrew's Day, the youth would parade through town blowing unmelodious horns and strumming tin pans to drive out evil spirits. The handbell ringers follow to invite better, gentler spirits. (From The Dictionary of Faiths and Folklore. Beliefs, Superstitions and Popular Customs compiled by W.C. Hazlett) There is a pretty 12th century Norman church dedicated to St. Andrew there.

 St Andrew is invoked to ward off wolves, the enemy of travelers, who are thought to be able to speak to humans on St. Andrew's Eve (Nov 29). A human hearing a wolf speak to him will die. I've used these ideas in the painting, mixing the sacred and profane, the superstitious traditions, the magical and the divine. Here is my St. Andrew's Day parade that is agitating the seven dogs. Maybe demons. Maybe just dogs baying along to the cacophony of the itinerant band.

St. Andrew's Parade

Working on my painting, St. Andrew's Parade. Inspired by my readings of The Golden Legend, readings on the saints, by Jacobus de Voragine. Saint Andrew was purported to drive seven demons in the shape of dogs out of Nicaea, but then when he came to the next town, the dogs had killed a young man and he was about to be buried. St. Andrew raised that man from the dead.

 At Stratton in Cornwall, on St. Andrew's Day, the youth would parade through town blowing unmelodious horns and strumming tin pans to drive out evil spirits. The handbell ringers follow to invite better, gentler spirits. (From The Dictionary of Faiths and Folklore. Beliefs, Superstitions and Popular Customs compiled by W.C. Hazlett) There is a pretty 12th century Norman church dedicated to St. Andrew there.

 St Andrew is invoked to ward off wolves, the enemy of travelers, who are thought to be able to speak to humans on St. Andrew's Eve (Nov 29). A human hearing a wolf speak to him will die. I've used these ideas in the painting, mixing the sacred and profane, the superstitious traditions, the magical and the divine. Here is my St. Andrew's Day parade that is agitating the seven dogs. Maybe demons. Maybe just dogs baying along to the cacophony on the itinerant band.

Advent

Finishing up my painting, Advent. Here is how the completed work looks at my Etsy shop. You can read more about it here or see other paintings available from My Good Babushka!

Advent

Advent. Painting in progress. Inspired by The Golden Legend by Jacobus de Voragine. Thinking about advent, beginning, arriving in the astronomical sense of stars and galaxies being born, coupled with the religious symbols of the four candles in the advent wreath, and the traditional advent calendars with new doors and thresholds to open each day.