Friday 4 December 2009

Odin

Wounded I hung on a wind-swept gallows

For nine long nights,

Pierced by a spear, pledged to Odhinn,

Offered, myself to myself

The wisest know not from whence spring

The roots of that ancient rood

They gave me no bread,

They gave me no mead,

I looked down;

with a loud cry

I took up the runes;

from that tree I fell.

Odin's Gift to the World

(Excerpt of W H Auden & P B Taylor's Translation of The Havamal)

38 comments:

Jasmine said...

Has anyone got any tips about photographing canvas? I never seem to get a satisfying picture.

Delphyne said...

Wow, Jasmine - this is great! I love the tree and the words. xoxo

Titus said...

Sorry, can't help, but wow! I like this.

Rinkly Rimes said...

Something new to me and very interesting.

Martine said...

Love this collage/painting!
My photo's aren't so good either but you could ask Andrea. She photografes her paintings all the time. http://parisdreamtime.com/
XXXm

Manon said...

Love this piece... the tree, the words... everything!

Anne said...

i have a special bond with odin.
i named one of my stallions odin years ago.
he had the same energy.

working with the runes is great:))

Brian Miller said...

nice, love the combo of the verse and the art...nicely done. sorry, no help on the canvas...

Harnett-Hargrove said...

Please, tell me about Seth's PULSE...

This is a wonderful combination... also reminds me of the hanged man (#12) as I'm finally getting back to tarot and doing a series.

ps, if the canvas is matte, I usually photo in indirect natural light and then up the contrast a bit in computer.... of course if its for archival,to my mind, there's still nothing like large format trans.

ArtSparker said...

O the rising of the sun
The running of the deer
The playing of the merrier gods
Sweet singing all in the choir

Jasmine said...

The Holly and the Ivy.

Today was the Mistletoe festival in Tenbury Upon Wells. I had meant to go but confused my dates and missed it.

Mistletoe symbolizes love which conquers death.

Tammie Lee said...

wonderful painting!I love the scattered runes. Inspiration abounds from Odin to you.

The Mistletoe festival sounds like a wonderful event.

You have inspired me to take Patricia Ariel's next Creative Astrology workshop. Will you be joining in?

Linda Sue said...

Odin would be mighty pleased! He would bestow upon you the strength and courage of ten! Love this piece and you are so right to make room for a studio which is more important than a kitchen anyday!

Phoenix C. said...

The mistletoe festival sounds interesting - I had not heard of it. Mistletoe is such an interesting plant.

Love the Odin poem and artwork. I've always been fascinated by the runic alphabet.

rachelisdot...♡ said...

I like the poem, but love the image!

Gwen Buchanan said...

this is a wonderful compliment...

and the way you have created your canvas with the words running up as the bark ... such a great representation... I loved it when I enlarged it and they popped out at me...

Caterina Giglio said...

Thanks for visiting my blog and now I have been here and I will have to come back! transfers are not that difficult. I am planning online classes about them in the spring. I love your gallows piece!

Acornmoon said...

Hello Jasmine, thank you for visiting my blog, the link that would not work for you has now been fixed. Thank you so much for telling me about it.

sue said...

i love this, especially the tree made from words.. i keep clicking for a closer read :) reminds me of the hanged man in tarot too.. of perhaps an imposed surrender, taking time out, gaining a different perspective. very soulful painting x

t said...

Love this Jasmine...
xt

Jasmine said...

Delphyne, Titus & Rinkly Rimes - Thank you :))

Martine - Thank you for the link, I will try and make time to visit x

Mano Doyle - I had a lot of fun choosing the words. I find building words up like this very relaxing, almost meditative.

Assayya - I have a special connection with Runes too. Was your Stallion grey?

Brian - Thank you :)

Jayne - Thank you, advice is always appreciate . Interesting connection to the tarot. I rally don't know enough about tarot.

Susan - I prefer your version of the Holy & the Ivy.

Tammie Lee - The festival sounded very good. Auctions of mistletoe, crowning of a mistletoe queen and a druid ceremony xx

Linda - Thank you. It feels a never ending task. I need to move furniture to make space and my other half has a slipped disc right now :(

Phoenix - There is something very magical about runes and ogham. Years ago, Fehu kept weaving its way into my spread. I kept visualising the symbol when I did not expect to, I found a pendant of Fehu in the street and when unpacking boxes from the loft there was a single rune at the bottom - Fehu.

I really should make some more :)

Dot - Thank you. Its good to see you hear. I love your creative writing :)

Gwen, for me the bet bit is the bark. I made the tree and he tree told me Odin should hang from it. Did Odin hang from the wold tree or the tree of wisdom?

La Dolce Vita - Oh lovely. I'm becoming a fan of online workshops. I will look out for it :)

Acornmoon - Thank you. I've just been over to check out that site. Its good to know. Sadly all of my favourite haberdasheries seemed to be closing one by on. There are plenty in my current location but they don't sell steins, all f the wool is synthetic and the buttons made of plastic so I don't care to shop there.

Sue - that is a lovely way to interpret this picture. Subconsciousy there may be something in this. I recently did a workshop with Patricia Ariel who suggested mediating before beginning a project, emtying the ind and going with a symbols that present themselves. All I knew at the beginning is that I had to make another tree Odin and Runes told me they were part of the picture and so it came to be. How you describe, is how I've bee feeling. There is another 7 week workshop planned to begin in January. I'm so excited. Maybe you will do the course too? :)) (I ask hopefully xx)

T - thank you x

Lickety Splitter said...

Your blog is a pleasure to stop by so I do ... :)

Jasmine said...

Lickety Splitter - I only have big smiles now :))

parisa mahmoudi said...

Absolutely beautiful,both the words and your paintings!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

I wish you a nice December dear Jasmine

Caio Fern said...

stisfied or not .
this is a wonderful image Jasmine .

Clare Wassermann said...

I love your tree. I hope by now you have played with your sewing machine - your felted tree is crying out for some lovely free motion stitching! x

Patti Edmon Artist said...

the art is lovely as are the words! I have scanned canvas and had luck; also, with pieces that are too dimensional I have a professional photographer friend shoot them - it's the lighting...

Jody said...

Thank you for commenting on my blog. Your work is very beautiful and artistic:)

Sculptor Dude said...

I really like that ewe that you did a few posts back. I consider that to be your very own style of low relief sculpture. Well done.

Renee said...

Stabbed in the side with a spear like another many we know.

Love this Jasmine.

xooxox

Joei Rhode Island said...

Love the piece....Love the poem. Now I have to do some homework and read more about Odin. But as someone else has said, it does bring the Tarot's Hanged Man to mind...which stimulates lots of symbols

Jo Potter said...

Hi Jasmine,
Very powerful image and words about Odin and I love the Runes too, scattering around!:)
I read my Runes quite regularly...
I have found the best way to take a photo of a canvas is to have the picture hanging on the wall at eye level, away from windows so the light is not shining on the surface, (even close the curtains to stop direct sunlight) and don't use a flash. Just use the standared light in the room. The trick is not to get any light reflecting on the canvas surface, especially if the image is highly varnished. I hope this helps you!:)
I know it can be tricky taking photos of pictures.
Thank you for your visit and for leaving a kind comment. I'm glad we share the same blog friends and we have now made a friendship connection too!;)
xx

sue said...

sounds interesting Jasmine and a sweet suggestion :) i'll be away all of january and some of feb.. travels to restore some sanity (i hope) heehee. if there's a workshop in the future let me know i'd love to do the course. tis very cool the way subconscious works with art.. gotta say it again :o) 'love this pic' xx

Karin Bartimole said...

Fabulous piece Jasmine - blowing up your image is a real WOW!! I love getting into the layering and word of the tree. Lots to take in - wish I could see it in person :)

lettuce said...

i love how his feet look as if he is dancing

Beverly Ash Gilbert said...

Oh so fabulous - love the falling letters and symbols. Goes so well with the verse!

I have the same problem with jewelry - the colors just aren't as vivid. I have found the best of luck by making everything as manual as possible though - film speed, shutter speed, aperture etc. I am starting to play with the white balance, but I'm way over my head with this!

Good luck (but to all of us, it looks great!).

Celeste Bergin said...

I like it!

Caio Fern said...

jasmine . i didn't even read the comments so i don't know if someone gave a good answer to you .
first . impossible to get satisfied photographing paintings or canvas in general .
don't do it under strong natural ligh .
never put under the sun for example !
i prefer to use natural light but to put the work under a shadow .
and in studio or inside home , choose 2 lamps . one yellow and one white . put then in a position their light get mixed . it will help you to get more fidelity of the colors of the work .
more question you know you can ask me anytime !
quality of the camera is less important than people make you believe . with a bad camere you cam make photos of art that every one will think it is a profissional job .
see you .