Shetland art residency update

in progress: St. Ninian's, Shetland

 
in progress: Sumburgh Head, Shetland

This body of work is new and I will be delving into it throughout the year-probably much longer. The series is evolving out of a recent (April 2015) residency in the Shetland Islands, of which I thank the Ontario Arts Council and those of you supporting me by purchasing paintings via the 'Wild in Shetland' crowd-funder. Those paintings were all made looking out to the sea, listening to the laughing gulls and lapping waves and breathing in the heady sea air-some were supervised by a seal.





in progress; St. Ninians






in progress: Scalloway walk 1

Since my return, beeswax (encaustic) has given me the freedom to preserve forever the things that have found me on the Shetland walks.

 

The plein air paintings below were made especially for the caring individuals who sponsored me via the 'Wild in Shetland' crowd-funder. 

 


  








 

 

above works now sold

Esheness: sold

http://janyatesart.blogspot.co.uk/

Fare Well, oil and cold wax, 8x10in, private collection

all images and content copyright to Jan Yates, 2015

lights in the sky

many years ago child-spirits appeared in my encaustic work. i recently came across one 'in progress' while cleaning out the studio- embellished her with some new found hawk feathers and for some reason I want to call her a 'mirrie dancer', although if you read the description it's a wee bit gruesome:

'In Scotland, the northern lights were known as "the mirrie dancers" or na fir-chlis. There are many old sayings about them, including the Scottish Gaelic proverb "When the mirrie dancers play, they are like to slay." The playfulness of the mirrie dancers was supposed to end occasionally in quite a serious fight, and next morning when children saw patches of red lichen on the stones, they say among themselves that "the mirrie dancers bled each other last night". The appearance of these lights in the sky was considered a sign of the approach of unsettled weather.'  

 to be featured this Saturday @ the pop up show:
http://firecrackerfuschia.weebly.com/