Thursday, September 15, 2016

Work in Progress: Hand Painted Altar Set

Ever since Sacred Source made this Altar Set from my designs, I've wanted to try hand painting a set. Well, I'm finally doing it, and they'll be in my Etsy shop as soon as the set is complete! I've finished everything except the God and Goddess statues/candle holders, so that's what I'll be doing next, but I wanted to show you the set so far...
These are the perfect size for tea light candles, although some people like to fill them with substances that embody the elements; salt, soil, stones, seashells, feathers, lava rocks, etc.  I'm really delighted with how this set is turning out.

Air: inspiration, wisdom, potential. I used natural shades to represent air, blue sky, feathers, tree branches blowing in the breeze, billowy clouds, and I also included the traditional yellow. The Sylph air elemental has a golden  airy skirt her multicolored wings suggest iridescence .


Fire: will, passion, courage. In creating the flames I blended shades or fed, orange and yellow, there's a little hot blue at the base of the flames. I made the fire breathing dragon elemental a warm golden color. 

Water: healing, emotion, cleansing. The water surrounding this candle holder has shades of blues and greens, the shells have layers of color to create a natural look. The undine water elemental has a supernatural purple skin tone and lovely blue/green hair like the sea.

Earth: nurturing, abundance, protection. I used many shades of greens and browns for the earth candle, a few mushrooms, ferns, oak, and ivy leaves cover this one. It has gray stones at the base, and the face of the dryad earth elemental peers out from an old oak.


Pentacle
I decided to paint the sky of the tree pentacle at dusk, the magical in between time, the sun has set casting warm colors at the horizon, the sky above has begun to sparkle with stars. You can either lay this pentacle flat on your altar, or use the brass hanger on the back to hang it on the wall.

The Horned God of the Forest
I still have to paint the Horned God. He is the spirit of the green forest, the power of the sun, and the Lord of the Wilderness, the colors I use will reflect growth and the woods.  
The Moon Goddess of the Night
I also have to paint the Moon Goddess. The Moon Goddess is the spirit of the celestial forces, the power of the moon, and Lady of the Stars.  I will choose colors to represent her nature as the deep mysteries of magic and the night sky.   

I'm grabbing some lunch and then I'll be working on the God and Goddess statues. I hope to have this set finished soon. Once it's complete I'll be offering it in my Etsy shop for sale. This hand painted set will make a very magical addition to someone's altar. I have one more set that I will be painting in a similar fashion later this year. When I hand paint these statues, there are no two that are ever alike, each one is brought to life with color, heart and soul and will soon become part of someone's sacred space!

If you're interested in the unpainted version of this set, it's available here: http://www.sacredsource.com/Votive-Set-Altar-Collection-by-Mickie-Mueller/productinfo/VS/#.V9rlXZgrLIU

The unpainted pieces are also available separately, so that if you wish you can collect the set one piece at a time as you work through the lessons of the elements and the God and Goddess.  

Blessed Be!

Mickie