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| Knight of Stars www.jackshalatain.co.uk |
This morning I woke up very early, before the dawn. I went downstairs, careful not to wake Pyewackett and brought a cup of coffee back up to bed. As I sat pondering on the new day I watched daybreak slowly creep into my room. As the dim light glimmered through the window, I witnessed my paintings come to life...each knight slowly awakening to the dawn.
The colours of my knight pictures suit the twilight hours, with blue, grey, pink and purple merging into a twilight background. I love the way the artist Jack Shalatain blends out the edges of his paintings so that it looks as if his ethereal subjects are walking out of a magical spirit mist. You can clearly see this in the Knight of Stars above - the caparisoned horse is just stepping out of a cloud. Is it a portal to the past where knights still ride; is it the gateway to Elphame and this is a faerie knight of the Seelie Court? Maybe it is a spirit guide, offering protection, constant and true. He certainly makes me feel protected each time I look on him.
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| The Knight of the Holy Grail |
I watched the knights wake up as the water-colour dawn bathed them in dewy light. The Knight of Stars woke first, his white charger quickly being picked out by the new day...I could almost hear the chink of armour and bit, making me want to ride through the misty woods with him. I've had this print for a very long time, ever since I was a teenager. It is quite small though, so I am considering purchasing a larger version. I love the crest of the charger's neck, the starry pennant flying, the shining gleam of the knight's silver armour, as if he is bathed in moonlight. Because I ride myself I am not one to dream of riding pillion, much preferring to ride my own mount alone, but for The Knight of Stars I would make an exception - I would feel honoured to ride pillion behind him, safe in his hands.
The Knight of the Holy Grail took a little longer to rouse. The moon behind him was the first hint of his presence this morning, followed by the shield, sword and helm. Because the colours are much darker, his armour is more of a pewter tone than the bright silver of The Knight of Stars, so it was almost full daylight before he made his presence known. When he did, he stepped gradually out of the purple grey shadows, looking serene, armed and ready to do battle.
The Knight of the Holy Grail isn't quite as showy as The Knight of Stars. His colours are more muted, like camouflage amid the shadows. He creeps up on me stealthily, playfully - he's been there all along, but he kept himself out of sight until the perfect moment when the sunlight brings him to life again. Then all at once he is there, magnificent, majestic - a loyal hearted knight. The very last thing to catch the sun beams is the silk rose I placed at the top left hand corner of his frame...a rose in bloom...a Rose knight... forever close by to inspire me as each day unfolds.
Both these prints are available to purchase from the artists website www.jackshalatain.co.uk and I believe that the original painting of The Knight of Stars is also up for sale, priced so high as to put buyers off - I think it would break Jack's heart if someone actually bought him! But the prints are very beautiful, non-shiny, so once they are framed they do look like paintings. Check out Jack's work and see what magical paintings you could be waking up to each day.
To read my post on how I got The Knight of the Holy Grail click here
BB Marie
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