It’s been longer than I expected to post but it’s strange times that govern the planet recently!
Winter makes progress… all our senses are involved… a welcomed change in government and a feeling of relief imbues every social media post with hope, even joy.
Here at the farm, we begin our journey inward… days are shortening as we head towards Yule… dark by 5.00 pm and not light until after 7.00 am. Hearth fires are lit… candles for the ancestors… small gatherings with hot soup and crusty bread around a bonfire or fire pit… we begin to mellow into the coming cold.
Hollowing out
emptying
seeking
the purpose of life
in simply being
Giving up
the fight for more
allows
unhindered
flow
Just living
Simply being
with no place
left to go
Past
present
future
merges
the well of life
upsurges
the wheel spins
on and round
All places
all seasons
emerge
as sacred ground
In the studio… a tight fit in the corner of the dining room, while waiting for the building materials to arrive… not long now before I have a grown-up artist’s space and eventually a little gallery too. I say grown-up but really, I feel like a wee kidding waiting for Yule to arrive.
Work continues though, in both farm greenhouse and studio… kasundi is made from surplus tomatoes… filling the house with spicy aromas… alongside the aforementioned soup of curried parsnip and pear 🍐
Nothing much goes to waste and what scraps are left, the worms, chookhens and Pip the terrier will finish off.
In the studio, I’m finishing off several ink and watercolour pieces… I discovered gel pens too… such fun in earthy tones or stark white… and metallics in silver, copper, bronze and gold… also invested in a few distress sprays… a work in progress!
Next will be more ink making experimentation, trying out new plant matter from local herbs and playing with eco printing, after a lovely workshop a month or so, ago.
All in all, quiet times, in terms of season and knuckling down with work… the book needs attention too but I’ve been distracted by world events…
I’ll settle soon as the shortest, darkest day approaches…
Life is awareness
Layers of being
Birth to death
seeing
renewal of life
Excepting
all things pass
some
wide-eyed
on sweet
green grass
effortlessly
fearlessly
the last breath’s hiss
releasing
…we can learn from this
Warm wishes and blessings from Beyond the Gate… Awen /|\
Penny
All art, photography and verse copyright ©️ Penny Reilly all rights reserved.
Penny Reilly Artist Beyond the Gate 