Good Twin, Evil Twin

"The puppet or doll figures (Effigies) were influenced by the idea of “homunculi.” They also reflect the idea of a narrative on the surface of the body that tells the life of the individual, much like scars or tattoos. Water Baby reflects the fact that negative impacts to the environment are also a negative impact within out bodies. Host figures found in Africa and Pre-Columbian Meso America are human forms with sacred or magical objects in the body cavity that reflect the idea that the body cavity is the center of the life force. Guardian Figure was influenced by these magical host figures. Good Twin, Evil Twin expresses the classic struggle between the opposing forces of good and evil, both universally and on an individual level. Just as human skin begins to reveal the spiritual and physical history of an individual, the sculpture's tattoos reflect a universal narrative of duality. This piece also addresses the enormous contention in contemporary society about whose ideologies are good and whose are evil." ~ Maryann Webster

The Black Broom

The Black Broom, statuary for the discriminating Occultist.

"Buer is a spirit that appears in the 16th century grimoire Pseudomonarchia Daemonum and its derivatives, where he is described as a Great President of Hell, having fifty legions of demons under his command. He appears when the Sun is in Sagittarius. Buer teaches natural and moral philosophy, logic, and the properties of all herbs and plants. He also heals all diseases, especially of men, and gives good familiars. According to some authors, he teaches Medicine and has the head of a lion and five goat legs surrounding his body to walk in every direction. In Grim Grimoire, Buer is summoned using the alchemy rune. Also, he discourages drunkenness."

Charlie Foster: Freedom Fighter

Charlie Foster ~ Gypsy vagabond...folk artist...magician/musician.



photo credit, above and below, Mike Brodie




Photo credit: Santiago Mostyn

"Freedom is free of the need to be free...Free your mind and your ass will follow...The kingdom of heaven is within" ~ George Clinton

related links:
Mike Brodie: Tones of Dirt and Bone
Monica Canilao: Dream Weaver

Gypsy Fingers

Beats and Magica Musica by SHUGMONKEY

New work by Miss Van...puuuur!

"After three years of absence from the French artistic scene, Miss Van has finally come back to her home country with a new series of works. Following her exhibitions in Los Angeles, Shanghai, and New York, Miss Van is taking a short break from her travels to show off her works in Paris. Miss Van, true feminine figurehead of street art, started her artistic career in the streets of Toulouse. Since those early days, her style has greatly evolved, her latest series being an ode to classical painting. She has gone from painting the curvy, enticing pin-ups in the streets of Toulouse, to painting the melancholic and subtle works of this new exhibition. Her various travels and encounters have enriched her already complex world."

you'll see him in your nightmares

THE GYPSY CHRONICLES by Alison Mackie

"She teased out of his guitar all manner of sound, the likes of which he never before produced. It was a fresh delivery; a brand new musicality was born through them, coming alive, changing them both. She was a conjure woman, at one with his element. Raising the flame of his fire and rushing the flow of his blood, she stimulated. She was at play, working his mind, his talent and even his heart; drawing out all manner of strum. Playing for, and with, and through her, Sabicas delivered a new form. It was an immaculate conception. The best days of his life were about to begin."



A fine read: The romantic and exotic tone of The Gypsy Chronicles is strictly fabulous. And the notion of charmed matrimonial beds? No reader could ask for more to spark so many levels of the imagination. Alison Mackie has created a mystical world, beautiful in its undertaking, that will lure even the most cynical soul to seek the mysterious ways of deep love and 'Gypsy' magic. ~ Meredith Blevins

Another recommendation: Sin in the Second City by Karen Abbott
~ Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul

April showers bring May flowers

I'm working on some new jewelry for my etsy shop! Three signature Beloved & Co. pieces casted in recycled sterling silver. Coming soon!



The Manifesto of the Black Thorn League 'Shipwrecked' necklaces made out of old coins...inspired by my Spanish Moorish ancestors that were shipwrecked off the shores of Ireland.



New Supernatural 'pressed' Specimens...



Fern ~ Rain Making, Protection, Luck

But on St. John's mysterious night,
Sacred to many a wizard spell,
The time when first to human sight
Confest, the mystic fern seed fell.
I'll seek the shaggy, fern clad hill,
Where time has delved a dreary dell,
Befitting best a hermit's cell;
And watch 'mid murmurs muttering stern,
The seed departing from the fern,
Ere watchful demons can convey,
The wonder-working charm away,
And tempt the blows from arm unseen,
Should thoughts unholy intervene.

Dystopia

Wunderkammern by Santiago Caruso

beinArt Collective Group presents 'DYSTOPIA'

Guest Curator: Jon Beinart

Chaos and ruin. Technological trends corrupting. Deformation, anatomical abnormalities, degradation and displacement. Whether related to the human body and spirit or the human environment, it is the 'anti' utopia. The theme of this show, 'Dystopia', will place the viewer in a fictional world where personal and societal fears can be explored. Whether figuratively or more literally, the participating artists will present their own interpretation of 'Dystopia'.

Presenting the works of over 50 international artists. Each artist has been selected for their ability to express themselves imaginatively with exceptional technique and uncompromising individuality. The beinArt Surreal Art Collective is testimony to a huge international movement of figurative artists who have resisted current trends in the art world and remained true to their artistic vision.

The Wolf

"More than 35 years ago, Congress banned the use of airplanes to hunt or harass wolves and other wildlife by passing the Aerial Hunting Act in 1971. But Alaska is exploiting a loophole in the federal law to resume the practice. The state’s aerial gunning program takes out wolves and bears in an attempt to artificially boost moose and caribou populations, often for the benefit of guided out of state hunters."

Most of you probably remember when Sarah Palin lifted the hunting ban. Palin's administration approved an initiative to pay a $150 bounty to hunters who killed a wolf and brought in their paw. The state responded that predators kill over 80 percent of the moose and caribou that die each year, while hunters and trappers kill less than 10 percent. However, Natural Science discredits this notion because wolf research has shown that wolves are, in fact, mostly scavengers. "Sixty to 70 percent of the moose they eat are scavenged, not killed." Haber

172 scientists signed a letter to Palin, expressing concern about the lack of science behind the state's wolf-killing operation. According to the scientists, state officials set population objectives for moose and caribou based on "unattainable, unsustainable historically high populations." As a result, the "inadequately designed predator control programs" threatened the long-term health of both the ungulate and wolf populations. The scientists concluded with a plea to Palin to consider the conservation of wolves and bears "on an equal basis with the goal of producing more ungulates for hunters."

Defenders of Wildlife is supporting the Protect America’s Wildlife (PAW) Act. Take Action!

* House of Representatives bill H.R. 3381
* Senate bill S.1535



Related links: Nature Whispers

Beloved and Co.

My new stash of Supernatural Specimens available in my etsy shop!