Fantasy

Some fantasy doodles today...

Wish you were here…

…Or rather, wishing that I was. How I long to be in Pembrokeshire right now! Well, here's a pull together of some snapshots, to make up for not actually being in the best place in the world.

Return of the Unicorns

Unicorns. Maybe you're reading that with scorn, with weary here-we-go-to-wishy-washy-fantasyland-again boredom or perhaps just plain curiosity about what that has to do with the real world.

Whether you believe in unicorns or not, you can't deny the mythology. (Well, stories, because 'mythology', if you DO believe in them - is somewhat of a contradiction).

Unicorns are in the sea ('white horses' on the waves) in the sky ('unicorn horn clouds') and deep in our psyche as magical creatures. Unicorn horn saved people from poison and deadly illnesses, kept them safe from enemies and prolonged their lives. Unicorns appear in the tales of King Arthur, medieval stories and all kinds of legends. They crop up as symbols of purity, rarity and secrecy.

But possibly the best incarnation of the unicorn is the universal belief that they are here, even if just in our imagination, to motivate us to put power and effort into good things that make the world a better place.

Here to guide us and help us to make a positive difference and heal the scars of misunderstanding and misuse.

I find it a laughable concept that something 'in your head' isn't real. Your head's real, right? So what's in it should be! I mean, that's a bit like looking at a glass of water and saying only the glass is real. Or that it's a glass of water, but the particles IN the water can't be there because you can't see them.

Regardless of your view on the existence of such phenomena, you have come this far down this post so presumably you are not actually a unicornaphobe, or you would have exhibited more definite symptoms by now.

Thus you might enjoy my latest drawings. If I can draw something that looks vaguely like a unicorn, that's real enough for me. Real enough for me to hope that, with all our efforts, and lots of unicorns - even 'just in our heads' - we can throw some light on this crazy world and bring some peace to everybody.

Namaste : D

PS: these pictures are small. There are two more on the way to make up the full set, 5 element unicorns. If you like the idea, drop me a virtual envelope through the contact page. I'll rabbit on about most things, so don't hesitate to say hi : )

Scary Stuff

I love trying new things. 

Especially if it's creative. Right now I am writing, drawing, painting, learning how to do breakdancing, and trying to sell my stuff on eBay (failing miserably and being irresistibly drawn to second hand guitars. I am also into guitar these days : D )

So that's quite a lot to be going on with. But there was a point where I wouldn't have done any of these things - well, may be one or two - and now I am stepping out into the adventure zone. 

It's a little scary. But then I have done quite a lot of scary things in the last few years. And along the way I have discovered that it's the scary things that make the deal. If you never take a risk, never step outside the box, never try throwing together things that aren't "supposed" to be together, you'll never learn.

It takes nerve to break boundaries, to go somewhere nobody else has been, to explore the corners of the world - and more importantly the corners of your own mind and soul - without resistance or judgement, without going back to the safe harbour, without falling into the same old pattern of acceptability.

Sometimes people will blame you, hurt you, misunderstand you, ignore you, bring you down and stomp on your head a few times and then turn everything you said upside down and claim all the goods for themselves. But don't let this discourage you. 

Let them be angry. Let them ridicule. Let them do whatever but for goodness sakes don't let it discourage you.

You're not just a cog in a system. You're an essential particle of the universe that is infinite, timeless, and unlimited, and tying that to some physical manifestation or idol of normality is almost funny.

People say "look at the big picture", but when I say look at the big picture, I mean, look at the REALLY big one. Like the beyond time, space and object one. It puts things into perspective. 

Knowing this, what have you to fear? Experiment. Escape. Step out of the small minded daily grind and find the joy. Appreciate small things, tiny things - from the perfect balance of bacteria on your skin to the intricate workings of distant galaxies, the miraculous transformation of a butterfly to the forming of an apple on a tree.

Fear creates boundaries, and boundaries create fear. 

Yes, you will make mistakes. Yes, you will upset people. Yes, you will get it WRONG sometimes. It's natural. Nothing on the whole planet is perfect, however it may appear, and if something really IS perfect, it's unnatural, and that is unlikely to stick around for very long in a world that is governed by the laws of nature. 

So don't strive to be perfect, strive to be free, to be accepting, to be open to opportunity and willing to seek out the true, imperfect excellence of living in the raw. 

As Mark Twain famously said,

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

Edible paint

I just bought some paint. Not a magnificent anomaly you might think, but this is very special paint - IT'S EDIBLE!!!

I'm sure it wouldn't do to spread it on your toast everyday, but the point is it's not going to kill you if you lick your paintbrush. This is a big breakthrough because up until now, paint was made with toxic substances, mostly derived from crude oil, which not only would be a very bad thing to consume but also give off some very volatile vapours for long after drying that are detrimental to health.

Infact most paint is still like this to a greater or lesser degree and this is the only truly organic paint you can buy.

I'm not trying to be a salesman here, I'm advertising the fact that innovation like this IS POSSIBLE and encouraging anybody out there who is an inventor of any sort to keep going, because we need people like you!

When I have completed some artwork using this paint I will post them up. So keep looking!

Where do you obtain this miraculous stuff? Ecos Organic Paints 

Blackbirds

The blackbirds in our garden are on their second brood. It's 'cheep cheep cheep' every time the anticipated feast arrives in the form of a still squirming grub or a plump cherry (off our tree).

The parents are winging their way back and forth all day with these delectable offerings, scooping out the delights from the other end and beginning to look rather ragged as their offspring swell and burst into feathery bloom.

It's incredible to watch - the last batch was 3, these are 5. Pray that they all make it through and we will see generations more of these glossy birds, and that the poor creatures won't have to shout above the ever increasing traffic so much that they get sore throats.

(disclaimer: I don't know if blackbirds get sore throats, but I do know that the traffic is increasing. Really, ee want more birds and less traffic. Sadly it's unlikely at the moment..)

This is testimony to the huge importance of quiet spaces in gardens where things can live and nest undisturbed - now that our countryside farmland has become a deserted factory. The most life I have seen in these barren fields is a crop of plastic looking plants, a plastic looking tractor and a (plastic looking?) farmer driving said tractor. 

Thriving natural eco system? Only in gardens, get one while you can!

An unofficial anniversary!

I can't actually remember what day it was (hopeless. I am), but I just feel like celebrating today, so I think it's about a year since I delivered the art piece I made for Manor House Wildlife Park in Tenby as part of their South-East Asia palm oil campaign. 

And a bit later I made some info boards for them too. This totally utterly sounds like I am blowing my own trumpet to be heard over the other side of the world, but that's not actually the point, I promise. 

My point is, it is so easy to forget once the event is over that the reason for it still continues.
So please, let us not forget that the destruction continues. That palm oil is NOT ok. That it's in everything pretty much and it's still doing damage. That all the companies which use it are harping on about how it's sustainable and indispensable and lovely and it's all lies. 

Meanwhile, orang-utans are dying everyday because of it, and unlike humans (which are their closest relatives, FYI) there isn't 7 billion of them and they don't make up their numbers as fast as we reproduce blood cells. 

And not just orang-utans. It's Tigers and Tapirs and millions of other undiscovered species, including a massive plethora of plants and bugs and fabulous things, including potentially life saving medicines. Lost. Not to mention the fact that without the rain forests, we WILL DIE. And that's really not a joke, I am deadly serious. If you want to know why, look it up, it's true. 

In other words, we may have won a small battle, but the war goes on. 

And a tribute to all the lives lost from palm oil devastation.

Yes, that is Anna Ryder-Richardson on the right and yes she is amazing!