Rose Blakeley
The Company of the Green Man
Blog. “All things Green Man & Jack-in-the-Green.”
It is no secret that I follow and admire the verdant, foliage-faced and alluring Green Man This captivating and enchanting figure has inspired me for as long as I can remember, and has shown himself to me in many forms. To me he symbolises the very threshold of man and nature, whilst appearing in many curious and often beautiful guises.
This ancient 'foliate head' is seen in stone and wood, in the most unexpected of places, a timeless, decorated profile, watching quietly and poignantly in the still shadows. He also features in modern day, in ceramic, art and rhyme - all of which are found in The Company of the Green Man.
The Green Man is a well-loved and celebrated character, who is very much alive during the Hastings Jack-in-the-Green, a colourful and extraordinary event, which occurs here every May-Day Bank Holiday. As you will discover from The Company of the Green Man, we are not the only town to have a Jack-in-the-Green; there are many others of its kind - "The Company of the Green Man gathers, archives and makes freely available information, images and folklore about the green man and the traditional Jack-in-the-Green."
I came across The Company of the Green Man one day, whilst searching for information and images of the Green Man for a project. Since then, on various occasions, I have played a part in this wonderful tribute with my rhymes, artwork, events and photos.
If you would like visit The Company of the Green Man blog -
The Greening of Man
Book. Published in 2012 by Slippery Jacks Press.
Compiled by Sharon Zak and David Bradshaw.
For further information or to buy a copy of The Greening of Man click here -
One day out of the blue, I received an email from a lovely lady, who was not only a joy to meet, but a kindred spirit: Sharon Zak. It was a very warm, and intriguing message, one that would lead me to a world of fascination and extremely talented, like-minded folk. As I read on, I discovered I was being invited to be a contributor in a forth-coming book, The Greening of Man - “This book is a veritable feast of creativity focusing on the essence of the Greenman, our connection to the land and the passion that drives us to live within the glorious spiritual ‘Greening’ that is with us today.”
Without any hesitation, I gladly accepted and have taken my place amongst others with ‘hearts of green’, making me a part of this wonderful book. There are a few samples of my writing and art in The Greening of Man, including my poem The Green Man, which I wrote many years ago in divine, ancient woodland, where I grew up in Cripps Corner, East Sussex.
This page features news and other
projects. The latest entries are at the bottom of page.
The Gorags of Sussex is imagination at its highest, so to be asked to write a song lyric for it was an incredible honour. It was quite a challenge. Many of Sarah’s names were unique and extrinsic to me, so I had to completely submerge myself in this wonderful new world, then I could relate the sentiments and memories of the Dryads, as was required. After losing myself in the golden age of her Earthlands, on a night when magic was at its most potent, the spirit of the book evidently possessed me. Then, the words of an enchanted race came to me and The Dryads’ Song was found.
As you may have gathered, this book is a lifetime’s work for Sarah, so to finally see The Gorags of Sussex published after all these years, has made me very proud.
“Ragnarock is a young Nature-god sent from the eternal kingdom of Summerland to free a race of wolf hybrids, known as Gorags, from a terrible curse. In the guise of an innocent cub, Ragnarock is adopted by the wise she-Gorag Osmunda and settles in Cuckdown Wood, in East Sussex.
From there he begins an extraordinary journey of self-discovery that eventually leads him into the eerie Forest of Shana, where he must find the Gorags’ enemy, the Black Dog, and destroy the curse. But Ragnarock's quest is not that simple. For he uncovers a dark secret hidden beneath the forest, which casts a sinister shadow over the future of Goragkind.
Will Ragnarock succeed in breaking the curse? Or will the Black Dog continue his reign of evil over the Gorags of Sussex?”
To buy a copy of Sarah’s eBook The Gorags of Sussex click here -
The Gorags of Sussex
The Ragnarock Chronicles
Available as a Kindle Ebook.
Written by Sarah Kendall.
Sarah, my younger sister, got the idea for The Gorags of Sussex when she was ten years old. Like myself, she spent most of her childhood playing outside in our lovely garden, but “our favourite place to play was the wood. It wasn’t that big but as a child I thought it was a vast forest, full of secret hiding places and magical creatures: a perfect setting for my book.”
Artwork for the Gorags of Sussex by Kristin Kest.
Update February 2014
The live show is booked for Broadstairs festival on the Saturday afternoon, in August this year. We are really looking forward to it, as it’s always great to see our work in front of a festival audience. We will also being doing shows in Rye and Hastings in the following week.
The Sacred Hare
Book. Published in June 2014 by Slippery Jacks Press.
Compiled by Sharon Zak.
I think it’s fair to say, that I am completely bewitched by the mystical and beautiful wild hare! They are a perpetual source of inspiration to me, not only in my writing, but also my art, so when I discovered that Slippery Jacks Press were seeking contributors for a book called The Sacred Hare, well, I readily offered. I am delighted to be a part of this very special book.
For further information or to buy a copy or The Sacred Hare click here -
Greetings Cards
The Countryside in Ink
I've produced a range of square (125 x 125mm) greetings cards. The ink artwork is in black silhouette on white, and depicts a collection of country creatures, all of which are embellished with the sun, moon and a variety of all-season foliage and flowers. There are five designs and each card will be accompanied by a deep forest-green envelope.
For further information click here -
