Caminante no hay camino4/18/2023 The very ground under her feet will rise up to meet her if she just has the courage and the faith to step forward. If she knows how to listen, that is… The hawthorn, the stars and moon urge her on. So, whilst the hawthorn in the print is spiky and craggy and might look less than benevolent, that is precisely what it is: a benevolent sentinel, watching the girl’s progress and offering care and comfort in times of trouble. I have sat on a particular horizontal branch – the perfect height for a seat and worn quite smooth by others, I’m sure – in all weathers and told the tree of my fears and hopes, cried, laughed at myself, hugged it, thanked it for its wonderful, grounding energy and invariably trotted away far more cheerful than before. For me, this clump epitomises the tenacity of hawthorn. I am a slightly obsessed fan of the hawthorn! In the hills above the High Peak village in which I live, there is a particular clump of hawthorns: a big, old one that’s been badly damaged and split down the trunk, the split-off bit having grown into almost a separate tree and seeds having propagated, over the years, forming a near-circle of hawthorn. I am a big believer in the healing power of nature and I have always found being around trees especially soothing, hawthorn trees in particular. I love the tilt of the girl’s head and the way she holds the tree to her right, like a touchstone I think we sense the trepidation she feels at stepping into the unknown, we can feel her longing for the moon and stars and to reach the top of the far-off hill, but her reticence is palpable. I wanted this print to have a strong narrative sense, particularly as I wanted it to convey a specific message. She stands at the beginning of a long, winding path which leads to a high, distant hill where a full moon and splendid array of stars hang in the firmament – the most heavenly display. I wanted to convey to her what a little warrior she had been (and still is) and an image came to my mind of a small girl, probably about 5 or 6 years old, looking out over a vista. My friend had told me a story by about something that happened when she was small and it blew me away just how strong she’d had to be at such a tender age. I made this print in 2017, as a 'gift of hope and admiration' to a close friend.
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