'I know an ash-tree,named Yggdrasil:
Sparkling showers are shed on its leaves
That drip dew into the dales below.
By Urd's Well it waves evergreen,
Stands over that still pool,
Near it a bower whence now there come
The Fate Maidens,first Urd,
Skuld second,scorer of runes,
Then Verdandi,third of the Norns:
The laws that determine the lives of men
They fixed forever and their fate sealed.'
From Song of the Sybil.
This is from a bookI found in the local library-Norse Poems by W.H.Auden & Paul B.Taylor(Faber & Faber).The poetry was translated from Icelandic poetry written in the 13th century.
I'm repeatedly drawn to the Three Norns weaving the fate,destiny and thoughts of men.They also use water from the fountain to revive Yggdrasil,the tree.The tree provides a symbol of the cosmos,associated with growth and decay.
I developed a triptych entitled 'Urd,Skuld and Verdandi'.Each canvas measures 20 x 20cm.Although the image shows them placed horizontally,I feel that they could also be presented vertically. They are lightly textured and layers of colour built.At present they are hidden away as I think and reflect on presentation....
'Urd,Skuld and Verdande'
20 x20cm per canvas
Mixed media
'All begins with a single thread,wound on the spindle of a revolving cosmos held in the lap of women,spinning the destiny of the world into being...' Plato.
I've been really busy completing two pieces for the Spring Fling Pop-Up Taster weekend (29-31 March) with the Launch Event on the 28th March,all at at Gracefield Arts Centre ,Dumfries.All pre-cursors to the Open Studio event which takes place across Dumfries & Galloway on the late May Bank holiday weekend of 25-27 May.
Urd,Skuld & Verdandi are the Three Norns ( or Fates)who live by the Well of Urdr at the base of Yggdrasil.
In the Norse poem Voluspa,a seeress sings the story of the world using poetry in weaving,spinning,lacing & binding the stories.....These are the activities of the Norns,spinners of destiny.
My new work entitled 'Verdandi'is a box-work incorporating 4 panels.The above is a detail of 2 of the smaller panels.
This panel is mod roc adhered to hessian & mounted on plywood.The spirals symbolize the threads of destiny & are here yet to be painted.The beads are Egyptian paste.
I'll put up an image of the completed piece soon....when the Taster Exhibition opens.....
