Come and join me and storytellers Amy Douglas and Sal Tonge as we walk in the landscape and hear the stories that were the initial inspiration behind the Medgel project.We are meeting at 2pm at Mitchel’s fold stone circle, Shropshire for about 2 hours. I’m hoping that we will have enough folk to get the art pieces out and in the landscape to take a photo – i may be overly ambitious in this ! watch this space ! If you care to join us please message/email me it would be great to meet you

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I’m liking the quote that ‘art is never completed that its just abandoned’ as this is where I am with the pieces for this project although I would say put to one side. They are all now ready to go out as the fifteen pieces each relating to the 15 stones that imprison Medgel in Mitchel’s fold stone circle. I hope that by unpicking these images at the events we can dismantle her prison and free her once and for all.

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Currently exhibiting 8 of the pieces at SpArC Bishop’s Castle Shropshire

Thanks so much for allowing me to exhibit some of the pieces plus a couple of my other artwork . Interesting for me to see the work together as it has been exhibited as individual pieces . Looking forward to the events with Amy and Sal as we weave story and art beginning September 30 th.

The exhibition is on until end of September. 

A constant companion to Medgel in her stone circle prison are the crows . They always seem to remain on the outside of the circle looking in. 

Exploring the time line and creating one that can shift as I imagine Medgel living in a nearby cottage that was abandoned in the 1950’s and is now virtually derelict. 

Natural materials provide the means to both protect and cause harm. The latest painting shows hawthorn – the protectorate and blackthorn – the cause of harm – but also a damn fine plant for making sloe gin ! 

The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic

Been researching for the project and marvelling at the visual source material in the Witchcraft museum in Boscastle. So many ideas ! Attended a talk by Dr Louise Fenton who has curated an exhibition related to cursing and the use of poppets and pins and comparing to voodoo dolls from her earlier research. The similarities seem greater than the differences. It was interesting to see people’s reactions to the exhibition and the fascination these objects hold. A big part of my current artwork relates to this imagery and have got many new ideas from both talking to Louise, hearing the back stories and from the objects themselves. 

Currently on exhibition at Churchstoke shopping centre (formerly Harry Tuffins) is my painting inspired by witches familiars. Thanks to Vince Stage the store manager for having the work. The store has a large footfall and really fits my remit of getting the art into local places and to people that are not regular gallery visitors. The store will be having two more of my paintings over the coming weeks.

Women accused of witchcraft were often assumed to have a familiar, most often in the form of cats, dogs, owls, mice, corvid birds, newts or toads. These servants to witches were considered low-ranking demons, or even fairies. It was said familiars fed on the blood of the witch taken from her third nipple. It was thought that the animals were used for spell casting and spying on others. Many completely innocent pet lovers were persecuted for having an ‘unnatural’ pairing, resulting in blame being placed on them for any kind of bad luck, such as milk spoiling or crops withering.