Happy new year to you all, I can't believe how fast 2011 went and we are now firmly in 2012.

Over the Christmas and New year period I got busy sketching and idea that came to me after I got a copy of Imagine Fx magazine which included an article on how to create art nouveau style art work. 

I have always been inspired by the art nouveau style, especially that of Alphonse Mucha and I decided to try my hand at recreating the style but in my own way.                                                                          The out line:                                                                                 

Line work is very important in this style of work and Mucha was famous for having his figures outlined by lines of varying thickness and shade.  

Finished artwork: 

 

Ornamental frames are also a staple of this type of artwork which is something I had not done before.

Close ups:

The symbols in the ivy wreath is that of the Druid symbol for Awen. Awen is Welsh for "Inspiration" and is something I am always striving for.

The acorns and oak leaves are also very important in Druid lore and is part of the Ogham tree wisdom. The Oak was viewed as a doorway to the Otherworld.

 

 The stone circles was a after thought in the creation of this painting. At first I was going to paint a scene of running deer but the more I worked on this the more it didn't seem right. So I decided to scrap that idea completely and I started sketching out a ring of standing stones as to me they are been very inspirational (see my Mythic stones artwork) and a source of Awen for me. 

 

It was good to have a change of style and to do a personal piece of artwork that speaks to me and is very much a theme of what I want 2012 to be: In Search of Awen.

I hope you like my new artwork!

To Learn more about Druidry and Awen then check of The Order of Bards Ovates and Druids website: http://www.druidry.org/