Finding Annwyn in a Journal

It would seem that the Celtic Land of the dead, Annwn, may very well be located in North Wales. The main story is of the King of Annwn, Gwyn Ap Nudd, and his wild hunt. He rides the night skies in search for souls with his hounds. It was this story which inspired my painting "The Queen of Annwyn" and I chose the longer spelling because that's fitting for a Welsh word. So I decided to take that image, and dress it up a bit and create some cool stuff, because it's what I do now that I have my own fantasy art gift shop. So now you can explore Annwyn on your own with the Journal of Annwyn.

I have kept journals on and off for years, and though now I do a great deal of my writing online, I still keep a hand-written one as well. It's not updated as frequently as it once was, but I have a feeling that may change soon. There's magic in writing, and if you don't believe in magic even just a little bit, then you've come to the wrong place. The idea that the Land of the Dead is associated with a physical location doesn't negate the mythology, in fact it reinforces it. Who knows what rituals the ancient Celts performed as they laid their dead to rest? Did they call upon the King of Annwyn to welcome their loved ones into his hall?

Cold and Rainy on the Silk Road

Last weekend at the MN Ren Fest ended up being very cold and rainy. Only the most hot blooded of belly dancers were going around without a cloak. In fact, it was too soggy for the Parade, so that was cancelled, and the Festival closed their gates at around 4:30 on Sunday. They NEVER do that, so you know it was bad.

This was our first weekend with Fairy Woot, our new booth helper. She was very cheerful all day Saturday, but ran out of steam on Sunday. Maybe next weekend we'll bring a supply of Pixie Sticks to perk up her energy a bit, she says that caffeine just makes her sleepy. Fairies are a different race after all, they would tend to react a little differently than us mere humans.

I did manage to keep a cheerful attitude all weekend, though. It was fun to see everyone all dressed up in their garb, and to dress up myself as well.

A Silk Road

A Silk Road: Discover the Riches! A Mid-East Experience, Aug. 18-19

This weekend at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival is dedicated to celebrating both Asian and Mid-Eastern Heritage. Festivities include belly dancing, Arabian horse show, yoga lessons and much more! The lovely dancer pictured here is Jeavonna "Something Purple" Melantha and has also worked at GemiGlass. I love all things belly-dancing, and hope to make time to get back into shape so I can join in the fun too, next year.

Things are really hectic at Wyrdhaven Studio, as I have been unable to locate the sign for my shop that I made last year! So I'm busy painting a new one, gathering my costumes, and generally pulling my hair out. The usual pre-show jitters have kicked in. You can still find me in booth #645 under the shade of three giant oak trees.

Pirates - a shroom stole my heart

Today's theme is Pirates. I was innocently searching the web for a nice parchment graphic that I could use to spruce up the background of my Shroom #3 tile, and what should I discover but Piece of Eight, a website devoted to 17th century piracy. Pirates are popular right now, what with the movies, a tv show, and the occasional wannabe. I even have a friend who asked me when I'm going to do a pirate painting. I don't know the answer to that question, as my muse has her own ideas about what I should paint that has nothing to do with trends in this realm of mere mortals.

Of course pirates have nothing to do with my cute little shroom really, except that he'll steal your heart away and make you glad he did. Pirates are like that.

Happy Harrypottermas!

Did you see midnight roll around on July 21st in your favorite neighborhood bookstore? Well I certainly did! I even played hostess to a sorting hat ceremony. Lacking a magical talking hat, I borrowed a lovely blue velvet one and had the would-be Hogwarts students pull a futhark rune from a bag to tell them what house they belonged in. I, of course, belong in Slytherin.

So I picked up my book at midnight and started reading it the next day. But before I could finish I had my husband's birthday party to throw so I was wearing the hostess hat until late at night, again. No rest for the wicked! Who knew that so much responsibility was required for those who wore the green and silver of that much maligned Hogwarts house.

The official total of books sold broke the previous world-wide record by a respectable 2 million. Here's the scoop from BBC NEWS:

The seventh and final Harry Potter book has broken sales records on both sides of the Atlantic, selling 11 million copies in its first 24 hours.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows sold 2.7 million copies in the UK and 8.3 million in the US.

The previous record for the fastest-selling book was held by the sixth Harry Potter novel, which sold nine million in its first day in 2005.

The long-awaited climax to JK Rowling's series was released on Saturday.

It was published simultaneously in more than 90 countries...A decade after the first instalment, the running total for Harry Potter book sales was already at 325 million even before the seventh novel came out.

Author JK Rowling launched the final instalment with a reading session at the Natural History Museum in London, and signed 250 copies an hour for fans between midnight and 0630 BST.

Tens of thousands of devotees - many dressed as wizards and witches - turned up to midnight launch parties at 280 branches of book chain Waterstone's, while many more took part in release parties all over the world.

Never underestimate the power of a single person to change the world, especially if she's a single mom! While I read this final installment in the saga that I love so well, I'll keep in mind that I too have an arsenal of creative gifts to bring joy and wonder into this world. So really, where were you at midnight on the 21st?

Return of the Dark Crystal?

This past weekend I had the great pleasure of attending the largest Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention here in the great state of Minnesota, none other than Convergence. While I was there I attended a panel discussing the possible new film coming out, a sequel to The Dark Crystal, one of my favorite fantasy films of all time. So naturally I hit the net when I got home and there's a great deal of speculation about whether or not they will be doing a good job on it. In 2005 Brian Froud was called in to do conceptual art for the new film, since he did all that work on the original way back when. Now there's some discussion on the IMDb Boards that his involvement in the film is over. Maybe his work is done on the project, but fans WILL tend to pick things to pieces just because they can.

There was much trepidation from the moderator of the panel I was at that there would be too much CGI added in the new film. I think I'll wait for the film to come out before I start passing judgement, and all the artwork looks very Brian Froud Dark Crystal to me, so I don't see any cause to worry at this point. The logo is pretty cool anyway, I only wish they would put it on a girlie t-shirt over at the Cafe Press Jim Henson Company Store. So I'm hopeful and eager to see this new offering come to a theater near me, never mind other peoples voices of doom. Here's the promotional flyer that's come out via Ain't it Cool News.

Introducing the Reiki Artist Store

I just have to tell you, I am absolutely thrilled about my new Reiki Artist Store! Powered by Cafe Press, I can now offer a wide range of gifts and apparel that has been unavailable to my fans and collectors until now. For the past few years, I've been trying to work with a variety of manufacturers by licensing my work. This has left me and my fans frustrated with their inability to get my work into the hands of the people who love it. So now I'm going direct and getting the word out myself.