How Pigs Fly

‘If pigs could fly’ is of course the standard declaration of scepticism, however in my quest to document some of our local Somerset magical creatures, it has come to my attention that the little village of High Ham, a mere 3 miles from here as the pig flies, cannot have got its name for no reason. This being the case, how is it that we refuse to believe that pigs can fly? The confusion may lie in a misunderstanding of pigs’ wings, always shown in fanciful drawings as exactly like birds’ wings, stuck on a pig. This is of course…

The Winter Tree Demons

Whilst I am on the subject of our very local magical creatures (Rhyne Maidens, Pollarded Dryads), I couldn’t let another winter pass without documenting the Winter Tree Demons. Not so evocative of my local area on the edge of the Somerset Levels, these creatures are visible all over the country in the winter, but particularly in low-lying rural countryside. In the summer you would think they were trees; only in winter do they show their true shape…

The Rhyne Maiden and the Swans

I finished a painting of one of my Rhyne Maidens.  The initial sketches, and explanations of what a Rhyne is were in this post: https://nancyfarmer.wordpress.com/2015/01/29/the-rhyne-maidens/ but in the end I kept the concept and created a completely new image. Rhynes, I discovered, have appallingly unforgiving perspective, and I was quite pleased with how this turned out, but the composition was very much driven by how to handle the perspective. So at some point I shall go back and re-visit one of my original concepts as well. Those who are familiar with the far more common Rhinemaidens, will of course appreciate…

The Holy Hound

…is apparently really quite naughty! This is a commission I was asked to do a couple of weeks ago. Pleased to report that his owner said I got him spot on.