A Wolvish Revolution

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Back to nature....

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The Sympathy of Wolves

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My sympathy (not pity, I should prefer to liken it to an affinity) for the 'wilderness' and all integral to it can be a painful experience at times. Nature itself creates and destroys; all that is beautiful, all that is wild has, at the same time, a definite aspect of terror. We are all aware of this, if not consciously. But it is the senseless, even willful destruction of this precious, terrifying wilderness by human hands that causes me a great deal of discomfort (is this because of our supposed 'awareness', our responsibility to know better?). And these concerns are becoming more and more apparent to me through my work. I consider the fate of wolves, tigers, trees....the fate of the earth beneath my feet, the air that I breathe, the inhabitants of endangered forests - and I feel impotent.

Sometimes I think that my images, some of them, the more obviously connected-to-the-wilderness pictures are a sort of feeble attempt at a quiet, dignified natural revolution. My own revolution; a savagely emotional affair. My girls and their curiously unpopulated landscapes are something of a testament to this. They are at one with the rhythms of the earth. And so are the occasional creatures that accompany them. They are the visual manifestations of my adoration and respect for all that we have lost, but they are also a symbol of beauty and hope - powerful and resolute, they are beyond the machinations of man(kind).

And it is this very beyondness that connects them so perfectly to the realm of fairytales, folktales, and myth. We all go hand in hand.

Pepper and Sky

Pepper, a horse I used to know. But I cannot remember him.

Once upon a time there was amnesia....and large sections of my life are still missing. Sometimes they come back, with an almost supernatural force (both the good and the not so good) creating a curious combination of sensations. Wonder, trepidation, amusement, disbelief. Amnesia is the strangest of things. I am not so sure that I should call it an 'affliction', for I am sure that it is a protective mechanism (in some cases). But for the most part, it is the most extraordinary thing, at its worst the most isolate thing, the most curious, terrifying, surreal thing that I have ever had the (mis)fortune to endure.

It's a pretty mixed bag.

Memories, some, return at intervals. Haphazard intervals at that. When they return they are like the delicate music of starlight on water or like an earthquake that shatters the heart. And it follows me around, the amnesia; it renews itself every six or eight years, so that many fragments of my 'present past' are also invariably whisked off into the great unknown.... whether lying dormant for a time, or lost for eternity, I am still too young to know.

Oddly, amnesia does not hinder my quality of life. There was a time when it did, when I sought too many answers, when falling down rabbit holes had become my stock in trade.....but thankfully, I am an adaptable little minx, and I have grown comfortably happy with my lot.

As for the details, the cause of my amnesia, this is rather personal, as I hope you will appreciate, but I will go so far as to say that it began in early childhood. The result of one god almighty shock. The above image depicts a journey. A journey forward - which (quite ironically) will often lead us backwards in time. But don't get me started on 'time', because I don't quite believe in it, in much the same way that some people don't believe in ghosts.

Seremonia #1

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A musical affair. One of many.

Part Little Red Riding Hood, part something else entirely. I'm not quite sure what to make of it, but it is of a similar ilk to the Sympathy of Wolves.

Before i go and eat, I would like to share my love for this delightfully dark yet beautiful book - The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. I am sure that many of you will have already read the book (I am always late, unfashionably so), but still......a fascinating read, for me, on so many levels; his rendering of certain emotional peculiarities and his perfectly dark yet heartwarming take on the traditional fairytale greatly appeals to me.

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Enjoy!

And take care.

Comments

[Dave]

I have to say, that your blog is one of those that always evokes emotion in me, so thanks for that. The Sympathy Of Wolves made me gasp a little when the page loaded.

I'm going to guess that if you've seen them, you probably like the films of Hayao Miyazaki (particularly Nausicaa and Princess Mononoke, though it comes up in other films too) - as they tend to deal with this idea of man vs. nature and/or the natural way of things a lot - and also they portray that same sort of thing which you describe about your nature-ish images - that there is something in nature which is transcendent and above what man can do to destroy it.

That would be a strange sensation to just kind of have missing parts of your life... and to have new holes appear, and sometimes old holes get filled in... I would imagine it would make life feel a bit like a story you had read, where sometimes you just forget bits of it... and then you think, "oh well, I remember the gist of it..." It makes me think of one of the issues raised by the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - that there's something deeper in us than our conscious memories that makes us who we are... so that even if we lose some of the conscious memories, we can still have a sense of who we are, a deeper "self" sort of.

I'm not convinced that time is real either... it always kind of feels to me like you can kind of spot it out of the corner of your eye, but you're never really sure it's there. Or, I'm never really sure it's there. It just seems so ephemeral.

I also often find it completely pointless to try to describe what I'm thinking or feeling in words - I can't imagine what life would be like if our only communication tool was language. I mean, as much as I get excited about language (and I get really excited about language), it's such a limited tool for communication without your body and without your voice and we are so often able to express ourselves in such meaningful ways apart from language (by creating pictures, for instance, or songs, or whatever).

Anyway, thanks for sharing your thoughts and creations.

[http://erinpetersonart.blogspot.com]

I love to visit your blog. It's a place of beauty and intrigue.

[Ben]

Get out of my head, lady!

:-)

[lou]

thanks xxx

Ben...i will take that as a compliment??;)

[Pherenike]

Hello, I cant recall if I've introduced myself before, I often silently skulk in, wander around in amazement and then leave. I love your work. If I had the money to buy art for my home, I would buy one of yours. Your images feel lonely and sweet, they kind of remind me of Remedios Varo, one of my favourite artists.

You are such a quick worker! There is always heaps of new work here, how do you do it!? Im having issues with speed at the moment, or lack of it.

Anyway... Ive been tagged, and must now pass it on. So, tag, please share seven things about yourself, some random, some odd. And then pass it on.

[Ben]

Lou...it's certainly meant to be!

Ben

[Ashley]

Your blog never fails to amaze me. Your work is stunning! I always check it but rarely feel brave enough to comment. I too tagged you. And I'd like to present you with the oh so prestigious "You Make My Day" blog award, because your blog is truly inspiring. You can check out my blog to see what this is about. Have a great weekend!

[layla]

such a beautiful post, your writing is as beautifully crafted as your work....i commented on the sympathy of wolves on your flickr stream...it's beauty truly defies words, i don't think they could properly describe how magical, haunting, and exquisite it is...or the combination of feelings it elicits...congratulations on being published in somerset studio, i'm looking forward to reading the article...i simply love your fairytale blog...i'll surely be back to visit...often!
layla

[cliodhna]

beautiful strange images for a beautiful strange life perchance?
wonderful work, very haunting.
x clio

[andrea gutierrez]

as always, your post are so beautiful, wondrous and delightful. i think this might be my favorite one thus far...i love the new images, especially the sympathy of wolves, here come the girls and seremonia #1. how do you craft your art? it's intriguing! and the book of lost things have been on my list for awhile to read. if you think you are late with most of this reads then i am really behind! i have so much to catch up on!!

[sarahblank]

Beautiful work here. The backgrounds are taking on a more elaborate feel...painterly...I like these a lot, perhaps the most. The last piece, it's beautiful. I find it hard to believe that you don't like it! The colors are so soothing wich counterects the tension, and their faces...oh wow! Its my favorite!

[karen]

Your work is simply breathtaking. I am so happy to have found your blog and cannot wait for more of this.

[lou]

thanks for your comments!

im having difficulty with my email account right now, so i havent been able to directly respond to many. but thanks for your support and also for those lovely emails regarding the Somerset Studio article! im very much excited to see it!

:)

[kim]

I really am at a loss for words on how to describe your work. Simply put, your work is gorgeous! The thought that goes into each piece is mind-boggling. A true artist! I'm glad I found your blog!