The Selkie Films and Tales.

I often find my art influenced by the sea which might not be surprising as I live near the coast in Devon but since I can remember I've always loved stories about mermaids and selkies. I saw the film Miranda starring Glynis Johns when I was very tiny and the memory of it has always remained with me. When I'm near a rocky coastline I always imagine what it must be like to live nestled in a rock pool and to escape into the secret underwater world just like Glynis Johns!

Does anyone remember Aqua Marina from the children's TV series Stingray? I have a very faded memory of her but I do remember that for me it was the best part of the show. I've just looked it up on Youtube and it's nothing like how I remember but something about it must have stayed with me even at that very young age.

Anyway, years later I watched film 1984 film Splash with Daryl Hannah as the mermaid. I loved how she had to learn about living in the human world and learnt how to speak from watching the TV!

One of my favourite films that came out in 2009 is Ondine starring Colin Farrell. It's based on the story of the selkie, a sad tale and I personally think it's the best film Colin Farrell's ever done.

Which brings me to the wonderful 2014 animation film Song of The Sea. Here's a clip of Saoirse bringing life back to the fairies with her song. Such a beautiful and moving film.

So you see those mermaid seeds were planted way back then and have grown with me over the years until this day.
I'd like to show you my mixed media painting 'Marina'.

She loves and cares for fish and sea-life and is at her most happiest when she's close to the sea. She's made in mixed media on paper, measures  8 x 10 inches and waiting for a new owner in my Etsy shop at £45.
I actually have my own fish girl who was the inspiration for this piece and last time we visited her at her home in Cornwall I made a little video of her. It's only a minute and a half long and the next wave that came along was a particularly big one and caught us both unawares! It was a beautiful sunny day in March but not a great time of year to get soaking wet!

I hope you have a lovely week,

Jess xx