Doomed Queens in the media

Could there be something in the air? Anne Boleyn, one of my favorite Doomed Queens, appears to be everywhere these days. At the very least, she’s fond of the New York City transit system — I spotted these posters on various bus shelters and subway shelters.

First this:

Then this:

I’m uncertain if I’m fascinated or horrified by the Vanity Fairization of these long ago royals. Or maybe I’m just amused. I mean, Henry VIII (or, as they dub him in the Showtime promos, “Henry 8″) in a leather vest? He looks better prepared for wrangling with the Crips than hanging with Cardinal Woolsey.

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two NYC events

It’s a very busy time here at Art and Words. If you live in the area, I have two events coming up:

1. Sunday, October 20th at 3pm:
Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra concert

St. Ann’s Church
157 Montague Street (corner of Clinton)
Brooklyn, NY 11201

ENESCU – Roumanian Rhapsody #1 in A
BRAHMS (Orch. Schoenberg) – Piano Quartet #1 in g minor, Op. 25

Suggested admission is $15 or pay what you wish. After the concert, there is a free reception for the audience. To learn more or for directions, visit www.brooklynsymphonyorchestra.org.

Some of you might know that I play cello in the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra, a community-based orchestra. Founded in 1973, the orchestra, a mix of talented amateur, semi-professional, and sheer joy of the experience. The music for this program is filled with lively, gypsy-inspired melodies — it should be a lot of fun!

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2. Wednesday, October 24th at 7 pm:
Goddess Inspiration Oracle signing

East West Living
(formerly East West Books)
78 Fifth Avenue @ 14th Street
New York, NY 10011
Phone: 212-243-5994

Since it’s been such a busy fall, I have not planned an “official” publication party for the GIO. So this will be the next best thing!

Hope to see some of you at one or both of these events.

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goddess art of the day: Brigit

The fire of inspiration is a gift all writers and poets yearn to experience. Celtic people of long ago entreated the goddess Brigit for this divine spark. Wise Brigit was thought to take the form of a triple goddess, with each aspect of her divinity bearing a special function. As Brigit, goddess of poetry, poets asked her to take possession of their imaginations to bring forth words capable of moving people to tears and laughter. Brigit, the goddess of smithing, taught humans the important craft of forging iron, allowing them to create tools to aid their work; perhaps as a reflection of this, some believe her name translates as “the fiery arrow.” Finally, Brigit, the goddess of healing, shared her knowledge of herbs to heal the ill.

Brigit’s sacred holiday, the feast of Imbolg, is observed the first of February. It is a celebration that welcomes the return of light after the dark winter. It also marks the start of lambing season, and the new life that arrives with the start of spring.

Though I’ve painted and drawn Brigit for other publications, this drawing was created for Goddess Alive, a book I recently illustrated for Llewellyn Publications. I used pencil, white gouache on tinted paper. The book features 13 Celtic goddesses, each associated with the turn of the seasons and the phases of the moon. Order from amazon.com.

Technorati Tags: Brigit, goddess art, Kris Waldherr

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goddess painting of the day: Nut, a detail

Nut, the Egyptian goddess who personifies the sky, is painted here in her traditional form. It’s not the first time I’ve painted her — I created a miniature which was reproduced in both The Book of Goddesses as well as the Goddess Inspiration Oracle — but this is a far more ambitious composition! It was received in a vision by Star Wolf, one of the authors of Shamanic Mysteries of Egypt; I did my best to hew as closely as possible to her description. I also incorporated aspects of ancient Egyptian art in a respectful manner in my presentations of the deities, decorative elements and borders.

This art excerpted from the cover painting (left) for Shamanic Mysteries of Egypt, a book recently published by Inner Traditions and authored by Nicki Scully and Linda Star Wolf. I used watercolor, gouache and pencil for it; I created a total of eight paintings for the book.

Here’s a not-so-secret secret: the authors have decided to adapt the art from this book into an Egyptian-themed oracle. It will be published by Inner Traditions/Bear & Co. in late 2008. I’ve been reading so much about Egyptian history lately for the New Book that I’m excited to be delving back into this world!

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goddess inspiration oracle: reviews and a signing!

It’s September, which means that (drumroll, please!) the Goddess Inspiration Oracle is officially out and about in the world. For those of you in the NYC area, I’ll be having a signing for the GIO at East West Living. Here’s the official information:

Wednesday, October 24, 7 pm:

East West Living
(formerly East West Books)
78 Fifth Avenue @ 14th Street
New York, New York 10011
Phone: 212-243-5994.
Email: bookpos@eastwestnyc.com

If you can’t make it, the GIO can be purchased online from Amazon.com here. (Link opens in new window.)

As well, reviews for the GIO are starting to appear. Here are quotes from a few of them:

Corrine Kenner:
“I don’t know about you, but every now and then I’ll do a reading that flows beautifully from one card to the next, gracefully unveiling a story that makes perfect sense … until I reach the final card. That’s when I slam head-first into a brick wall with an outcome card that brings the whole reading to a screeching halt.

In those cases, I realize that I really didn’t want an ordinary outcome card: What I really wanted was guidance and advice. So I throw clarification cards — sometimes, one after another, which only complicates the issue.

That’s what makes the Goddess Inspiration Oracle such a welcome addition to my collection. It’s a quick and easy way to clarify any card in a tarot reading, and answer one of our most pressing questions: What should I do?

I love the fact that the Goddess Oracle cards complement the Goddess Tarot deck so well.“ read the rest of this review . . .

Aeclectic Tarot:
“The “Goddess Inspiration Oracle” kit consists of an 80-card deck of oracle cards based on a Goddess theme, a 120 page companion book (the “Goddess Inspiration Oracle Guide”), and a lovely gold colored organdy bag to act as a home for the cards. As always with Waldherr’s work, I am in awe! . . .

I found it interesting that Waldherr defines oracles as being both the vehicle for the message, and the message itself. Waldherr sees her messages as offering creative solutions, Whereas one of her previous works, “The Goddess Tarot”, offered wisdom through the venue of Tarot, Waldherr see the “Goddess Oracle” as opening this knowledge to those who do not necessarily work with Tarot . . . Incredible artistic talent, combined with a bent for serious research, is a trademark for Kris Waldherr!” read the rest of this review . . .

Julie Cuccia-Watts
“The Goddess Inspiration Oracle is very multicultural which I always like and it was also something very user friendly. It is perfect for a one card pull. This deck is something that I would use as there are times when I don’t want to use my own decks especially for my own personal readings, cuz let’s face it using my own deck can get to be, just too much “me”sometimes.

I think even though there are some cards that have grown up themes I
would still highly recommend this deck for teens. My daughter just
turned 15 and I think she would enjoy the ‘girl power’ energy of
this all goddess oracle with the meanings printed right on the card.
I found the Goddess Inspiration Oracle to be both educational and
inspirational. . . .

I give the Goddess Inspiration Oracle a thumbs up for content, multicultural, the feminine divine and art.” read the rest of this review . . .

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Meanwhile, I’ve got several posts percolating within me. One of them is about this piece of art (detail posted below):

A tip of the hat to anyone who can identify the painting, the artist and the quote. A hint: think fin de siecle Vienna.

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