I want to make another painting for my altar, like the one I made for Ostara, but this time for Beltane on May 1st.
Beltane is the year's counterpoint to Samhain, and is about abundance, fertility, sexy times, fruitfulness and rebirth that we witness as part of Spring. It marks the beginning of Summer in the Celtic tradition. And in the south (USA), where it's already in the 80 degrees, this makes sense to me!
So, I decided to do some practice drawing in my art journal. I started the drawing below last night.
I started brainstorming with symbols that represent the elements: Leaves, flowers and the large branch for Earth, potion bottle for Water, feathers for Air, and well, fire for Fire. lol.
And the crystals are going to correspond with ones that work with May and Beltane. After all of that, I ran out of room! This journal is about 5x7", so it's tiny.
I think for the larger altar piece, I'll maybe add two intertwined figures to represent the coupling that usually took place at this time of year. Apparently a lot of couples also got married on this day as well.
Other things I could add to the painting: a flower crown, the branches blooming rather than bare, something to relate to honey, like bees or honeycomb pattern, something sweet to represent the sweetness of summer evenings, a rabbit, strawberries, honeysuckle, fireflies, and cherries.
Some of these may be better for mid-summer, but having a list helps. Once I start researching, the ideas always come and it's super fun to add these kinds of details.
I drew the hand referencing my own in the same position. I figure, even if it looks not quite right, I like the practice. And for once, I drew all of these things. I referenced images but did not stamp or stencil anything. I like doing that with my altar pieces. It's more intentional.
x
Amy
PS: I'm blogging along with Effy Wild in April. If you'd like to join the facebook group to read the rules, go here:
