About
I'm an artist, a writer, and I live in an old farmhouse on top of a windswept hill with my Fred, our son, four cats, and one dog named Max. I'm an independent author, my novels, Dusty Waters: A Ghost Story (2009) and The Fractured Hues of White Light (2010) are published by Field Stone Press.
Godwine Kingmaker: Part One of The Last Great Saxon Earls
Description
<p><span><span>Harold Godwineson, the Last Anglo-Saxon King, owed everything to his father. Who was this Godwine, first Earl of Wessex and known as the Kingmaker? Was he an unscrupulous schemer, using King and Witan to gain power? Or was he the greatest of all Saxon Earls, protector of the English against the hated Normans? The answer depends on who you ask. He was befriended by the Danes, raised up by Canute the Great, given an Earldom and a wife from the highest Danish ranks. He sired nine children, among them four Earls, a Queen and a future King. Along with his power came a struggle to keep his enemies at bay, and Godwine's best efforts were brought down by the misdeeds of his eldest son Swegn. Although he became father-in-law to a reluctant Edward the Confessor, his fortunes dwindled as the Normans gained prominence at court. Driven into exile, Godwine regathered his forces and came back even stronger, only to discover that his second son Harold was destined to surpass him in renown and glory.</span></span></p>
Story Behind The Book
This is our latest effort as Field Stone Press, my Fred and I put this little art book together for art lovers to enjoy, this is our "body of work" as artists from 2006-2011. Some people can't afford to buy the art, but love to have a book to take home and pour over pictures that they love; art books are special that way. This book is the result of many years of doing something we love, and in the immortal words of Joseph Campbell, "Follow your bliss..." and so we have. With deliberate intention we arranged the art on the pages without regard for chronological order. We thought it best to match compatible images and to offer the viewer a sense of wandering rather than marching through a garden. Random browsing is encouraged! Our personal commentary about each painting adds an intimate dimension to the book, and hopefully will not only explain what we do while painting, but will inspire a reader to want to make art...goodness knows, we could've laid aside our creativity because being stuck on survive in the day-to-day grind can certainly crush out anyone's spark.
