ArtQuartet News – Spring 2025
Spring Blog Photo ©Sally Parker
Spring 2025
by Sally Parker
Welcome to my spring blog! At last, we can look forward to brighter days.
In my ‘Healing Garden’ this season, I have featured the hawthorn tree, a significant tree in folklore and myth. It will not be long before hawthorn hedgerows and trees will be adorned with small white blossoms during the spring months. They will provide nectar and pollen for bees and other pollinating insects, and the berries are a good food source for many birds and creatures. The natural, untamed vitality of the hawthorn hedge provides a haven for so much wildlife. It may surprise you, but this brings to my mind the work themes of an inspirational artist who I briefly mentioned in my visit to Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Art Museum last season: Artist Joan Eardley (1921-1963) produced unconventional work consisting of portraiture, seascapes and landscapes. I would like to share with you my thoughts:
- Townhead, Glasgow
- Joan’s Working Techniques
- Catterline
- Healing Garden: Hawthorn
- Myth and Folklore
- Our Disappearing Hedgerow
Townhead, Glasgow
Joan Eardley worked as an artist in the Townhead area of Glasgow in the 1950s. At this time, Townhead was a deprived area with overcrowded tenement buildings destined for demolition. One particular painting of Joan’s that I found thought-provoking was a portrait of two girls. Here is a link to view the painting (it can be found at the end of the article):
https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/features/joan-eardley
The children had dishevelled hair and well worn- dresses, however, their faces showed large smiles, wide eyes, and glowing red cheeks. Had the children just been sitting by Joan’s fire? I discovered in my research that they enjoyed visiting Joan, and their reward for being painted would often be a shilling, a mug of tea, and syrup and cheese sandwiches! They enjoyed their time in the studio, as it was a place where they could release their energy, uninhibited, after a day at school. In the portrait, the sisters sat shoulder to shoulder, hinting at their close relationship. They were part of a large family (12 children), all living in a 2-bedroom flat. Despite these conditions, Townhead was a close-knit community, and Joan soon became part of the family.
Joan’s Working Techniques
I have watched video footage of Joan working. She worked standing up to enable quick, energising brushstrokes. Her actions produced paintings and sketches bordering on abstract expressionism. These drawings and paintings contained remarkable energy using her own artistic language, which on the surface appears spontaneous. However, it revealed her perception and remarkable ability to forge a trusting relationship with those around her.
“A thinking painter as well as a feeling painter”
Fiona Pearson, Senior Curator
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (1983-2008).
Catterline
Joan divided her time between Glasgow and Catterline. Catterline is a coastal village on the North Sea of Scotland, about 20 miles south of Aberdeen. It is interesting to compare both places. Although they appear remarkably different, one urban and the other rural, they are connected by a similar close-knit community and a free spirit. Joan’s accommodation in Catterline was equipped with basic necessities, which did not include primary services. She mainly painted outside, never too far from her cottage. Joan worked quickly to capture the natural beauty and free spirit of a sense of place. In both locations, Glasgow and Catterline, she focussed on their ‘wild’, ‘uninhibited’, and ‘natural’ energy.
Joan’s painting ‘Catterline in Winter’ (which you can view by visiting National Trust, Mottisfont) communicates the struggle and resilience of everyday life through bold colours and textures. Joan Eardley had strength and courage and was a dedicated painter who left a lasting legacy.
During my working practice, I meditate, draw upon intuitive thoughts and feelings, and paint romantically, producing metaphors rather than any set scene or object.
I strive to achieve a naturally free, unpredictable visual energy inspired by Joan Eardley’s unbridled works.
HEALING GARDEN
HAWTHORN (Crataegus monogyna – Rosaceae family)
Myth and Folklore
Hawthorn is known by many other names such as ‘Bread & Cheese Tree’, ‘May Blossom’, ‘Mayflower’, ‘White Thorn’, and ‘Hawberry’ to name a few!
Ancient Greece
In ancient Greece, people referred to the hawthorn’s blossom as ‘May,’ and they associated the flower with good fortune, especially for newlyweds. It also symbolised love, fertility, and new beginnings.
Healing Remedies
Historical records dating back to 659 AD report that hawthorn remedies have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. However, researchers must conduct further studies to clarify hawthorn’s efficacy and safety. People have made jams, sauces, jellies, honey, wine, and tea from the berries (excluding the seeds*), leaves, and flowers.
Irish Folklore
In Irish folklore, the hawthorn is known as “Lonely Trees,” “Gentle Trees,” and “Fairy Tree.” The hawthorn marks the boundary between the mortal world and the Otherworld, where the fairy realm resides. The fairies who guard the hawthorn mean no harm but fiercely protect nature and the hawthorn itself.
Celtic Folklore
Hawthorn is part of the Celtic alphabet of trees, also known as the Ogham alphabet.
“H” or “Huath” is the 6th letter of the alphabet and is said to represent protection, fertility, and purification.
Hawthorn in the lunar Celtic Tree Calendar represents the season of the ‘Hawthorn Moon’ which is May 13th-9th June. People hang strips of cloth on the branches of the hawthorn, one of the magical ‘rag’ trees. These cloths represent pleas made to the natural spirits, seeking healing or good fortune.
‘Bringing Home the May/Gathering the May’
‘Gathering in the May’ dates back to Roman times when maypole festivities celebrated spring in honour of Flora, Goddess of flowering plants. In Judaeo-Christian mythology, people associate the hawthorn with the crown of thorns that Jesus wore, symbolising rebirth and new beginnings.
The mediaeval festival ‘Bringing Home the May’ evolved with a traditional ‘May Queen’ but with the addition of a ‘May King’ (Jack-in-the-Green). Villagers gathered flowers, blossoms, and foliage to decorate the May Queen and May King adorning the village. The villagers ensured that they used hawthorn blossoms outside, as it was considered unlucky to bring them indoors. The festival continued the tradition and rituals of playing music and dancing around a maypole, celebrating the arrival of spring and new beginnings. Finally, the festivals re-emphasise Joan Eardley’s themes of strengthening social bonds and uniting communities.
Our Disappearing Hedgerow
Around 118,000 miles of hedgerow have disappeared from the UK since the 1950s. Joan Eardley’s humanitarian work at the start of urbanisation highlighted that human survival requires basic necessities. Wildlife, in parallel, has similar requirements; sustenance, shelter, and living undisturbed. Understanding nature’s needs is crucial for fostering a sustainable environment. We can strengthen our relationship with the natural world by supporting the dedication, passion, and commitment of individuals involved in conservation projects. We can grow and thrive together by connecting with those weaving, interconnected branches.
Thank You for Joining Me!
Thank you for reading, and I wish you a happy and healthy spring season!
Best wishes
Sally
This blog is for educational purposes only. As with all herbal/foraged ingredients, it is your responsibility to find out the relevant safety information, i.e., contraindications, and correct dosages, before their consumption.
*Seeds of hawthorn berries should be avoided as they convert to hydrogen cyanide in the small intestine. Hawthorn contains several contraindications, so there are risks for specific conditions. Please see the website details below.
Sources:
Joan Eardley ‘A Sense of Place’ National Galleries Scotland (2016)
Medical News Today – “What to know about hawthorn berries” – Reviewed by Sade Meeks MS RD, Nutrition, written by Louisa Richards 20/10/22