"Heralds of the Dawn", at last

I've been tossing the title from "Heralds of the Dawn" to "Heralds of Spring" and back again, but it has landed where it began, with the Dawn. Both can mean a new day, new season, a clean slate, a fresh start and, most importantly, a new beginning (remember the title of my book, Always a New Beginning? Check the right sidebar.).

That is why the Hawthorne tree/blossoms have entered the picture. In Celtic lore the Hawthorne is a magical tree inhabited by the faeries. If you sit under one on May 1 the faeries may whisk you away to the faery realm, never to be seen again. It is used in rituals of fertility and happiness and the wood is treasured for use in magic wands. The original May poles were made of Hawthorne trees. It also is used widely in herbal medicine as a tonic for the heart (happiness, fertility; it all works together.). Here is a great link for reading about many of the vast beliefs surrounding this amazing tree: http://www.paghat.com/hawthornmyths.html

And Bluebirds love Hawthorne in their habitat, especially those striking red berries that help them through the winter. The bluebird, also associated with happiness, is prevalently found in myths and legends about rebirth and dawnings. Close to home, we find the Cochiti people of this region call the firstborn son of the Sun, Bluebird, or Culutiwa . Again close to home, the Navajo have a Bluebird song that is a reminder to rise at dawn and greet the rising sun. And there is so much more, dating back thousands of years in Chinese and other ancient legends.

Except for a little clean-up and the final varnish, the painting is finished. I will set it aside for a couple of days before I varnish it, just in case. I hope it sort of sits in the borderland between the real and the imagined (could that mean surreal?). I did everything short of actually sticking faeries in it, which you know I won't do!! By the way, the painting is 46 inches tall and 36 inches wide.

Again, feedback is appreciated. If you sign up to follow the blog you will automatically get posts in your email box. Have started on the next one: "Ancestral Messengers". I'll show it to you soon.