Beira...

"Beira" by Andrew Thornton

In my research on winter holidays and folklore, I found some interesting stories about Beira, also known as Cailleach Bheur. She's a Scottish goddess that personifies winter. She is described by some as the Mother Goddess of the Scottish pantheon and is an old woman with white hair, blue skin, one eye and rust-colored teeth. I decided to do my interpretation and skipped the amber smile. Apparently she rules on high until the longest night of the year. Afterwards, she makes a trek to the Well of Youth, where she becomes younger each day.

Mr. Tumnus...

"Mr. Tumnus" by Andrew Thornton

I've always loved satyrs and fauns. I am drawn to in-between things. There's something about the liminal spaces and the creatures that inhabit them. It's in those places where worlds collide and elements meet that truly remarkable and magical things happen. Satyrs epitomize the mix of the wild and humanity in one. There's a freedom that's appealing.

One of my favorites growing up was Mr. Tumnus. I've always thought of, "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" as a holiday book. Maybe because it takes place (mostly) in winter and there's Father Christmas. In my quest to depict different holiday folklores and traditions, I decided to do my version and even though this technically isn't a "folklore"... I'm going to roll with it.

I really haven't done much fan art. I mean, I sort of have, if you consider the pieces that I've made for the Inspired by Reading Book Club fan art. In that case, I've made a boatload. It's definitely interesting territory to explore.

Crow Paintings: Series Four...

We moved the shop back in April and have been making improvements as time and budget allows. There's still so much that we'd like to do. Really, will we ever be done? It seems like there's always one more project. I started these backgrounds back in April to help with the fundraising efforts to offset the moving and improvement expenses. After the first three series, I didn't know if I'd ever make anymore. I decided to squeeze in working on these in between other projects. I have to admit, some of these are my favorites!

These and more of my original artwork is available at Allegory Gallery.