The Story Keepers Tent

I love the idea of stories being held safely somewhere, held back for their right time to be spoken or read or listened to. There is such a sense of a journey within a story for me, I guess that it is no great leap to feel that there must be a certain readiness to embark on a particular journey - in spirit if not in practical terms.


Many years ago I painted this picture called 'The Story Keepers' ...

... and now, in this slow time where I cannot paint as much as I'd like, I have returned to writing and the role of the Story Keeper has deepened and widened.

Some of you may remember the slowly forming tale which for now is called Troll song. Many chapters on now, the Story Keeper has made his appearance. His character has only just begun to form but already I can appreciate his guardianship of story and the difference between him and a storyteller. He is an overseer of story, a facilitator of journeys, an adept traveller to other realms. He is the link between people and the stories and story tellers they need, I guess you could say he's a kind of medicine man of Story.

He no longer has a balloon shaped dress, he is more the beard and cloak kind of character now and I am looking forward to getting to know him better.

In his possession is a small tent which I think hold some of his belongings, and, though I'm not quite sure what they might be I'm fairly certain that they will not be ordinary. 

There is still quite some pain in my body that prevents me from drawing as much as I'd like, my drawing hand has lost all its cartilage in my usual drawing fingers so I am having to learn to adjust my grip but I remain hopeful and positive that things will work out as they are meant to.

So here is a sketch of the Story Keeper's tent and some little details form the work in progress that I hope will become a painting before long...

" You must give birth to your images

They are the future waiting to be born.

Fear not the strangeness you feel.

The future must enter you long before it happens.

Just wait for the birth, for the hour of new clarity."

Rainer Maria Rilke