One for sorrow?

The magpie or 'maggot-pies' as Shakespeare refers to them in Macbeth, seem to be so caught up in folklore in just about every country in the world and it's not hard to see why. The  black and white feathers and the raucous call makes them very distinctive and rather mysterious - although they are often seen in groups called 'tidings' or 'parliaments', they always seem to me to be loners. 

As a totem animal it is known as ‘the cunning prophet‘ and is associated with  prophecy.  It's said it can be taken as a sign of  joy in personal change, encouraging us to let go of the old and find the new with confidence and clarity. It's certainly an adaptable and successful bird and even if you don't believe in folklore and legends, you can still appreciate it just for the way it looks.

The famous nursery rhyme 'One for sorrow, two for joy' etc., means that they were familiar  to most children a generation or two ago but I wonder if that's still the case......do you still salute a magpie when you see one?!

 

Black and white lino print on Japanese paper - hand printed

 

Val's beautiful prints of the moon were my inspiration for these prints, done by hand at a very early stages so that I could see whether I could get the effect I was after. I like to take prints at an early stage as often they suggest taking a different route towards the finished piece of work.

 

The next stage is to see how the image will change when the block is printed using a mechanical press......