The Grail Keepers Gallery
Hello everybody, all my love and best wishes for Easter Day.
Just thought I would let you know I have started a new gallery on my Flickr Account and that gallery is called the Grail Keepers.
I spoke about this a little bit in my last upload, where I talked about the concept of modern day Grail Keepers.
So I thought I would start to expand a little on the idea here on Flickr.
If you have followed my work or are among my dear friend's on here you will know about my obsession with the Grail.
So obsessed with it that I take out a selection of grails that I have in my collection to photograph them and see what happens. The best get turned into works that get loaded up here or on my website.
But lately I have felt that the Grail has more to tell us. I have loved the tales and its history from my early childhood. I cannot remember a time when I was not entranced with it.
The history of the Grail is one that many are familiar with and many have created works of art, film, books and images about it, adding their love, fascination or even ridicule to its catalogue.
For me it is a way of directly experiencing the Divine. When I take photographs of my Grails in the landscape or within a location something happens and I will often be transcended in some way.
I try to remain focused and take my shots of what is happening, hoping that it transfers to the image and the atmosphere can be sensed.
So this is one creative and spiritual outlet for me, but the concept of the Grail and what it stands for can be utilised in our modern era.
In the past I have painted some characters who have epitomised the Grail Keeper in my mind. Tradition has it that the first Grail Keeper was Joseph of Arimathea, who was a Pharisee who assumed responsibility for the burial of Jesus after his Crucifixion. Here there are many legends, which I will not repeat here, except that it became almost accepted that Joseph brought the Cup of the Last Supper to Britain for safe keeping, and thus began the Legends of The Grail.
This has always entranced me and the legend goes on, explaining that there were successive Grail Keepers who were responsible for its secret hiding place.
Now in our modern times, what can the Grail show us, teach us? I started to go on a personal quest with it myself, with my photography, and there is no doubt that it has given me much comfort.
But what if it could be helpful in other ways? What if those Grail Keepers in our modern era become those who uphold all that the Grail stood for? This way it could be a positive message, but also a practical one, to inspire and help people.
So I thought of inspiring figures from the past and the present, who had these ideals. Then I considered that this could also apply to those people we might not hear about, but who have become loved in their communities or within their families.
What if we could celebrate and honour these people in the medium of photography? So I have set up my new gallery, the Grail Keepers. What I need is your images, your memories, your choices of Grail Keepers, past or present day.
I would love for you to send me a message or links to your photos, if you want to share someone’s story in this gallery.
I turn on the news and I find I am instantly depressed by it or even angered. Some of it cannot be helped, of course not. But it seems to me that there is a glorification in disaster and mayhem at the moment. Misery is feeding on itself.
I find that some of our leaders and politicians in the world seem to have lost touch with ordinary people. They have lost their common decency.
I think it is time for the ordinary person to take back their lives, but in a positive way, not through violence. But I also think that this can only be done by ourselves by example.
It won’t be easy. But we are in danger of drowning out the voices of kind, loving people, who just want to live their lives. I know you are out there, because you have talked to me.
I will uphold the Grail and all it stands for until my last journey, and even then I suspect I might be put to work.
I hope to expand on my work and thoughts about this not only here on Flickr, but on my website. I really want my website to be a safe place, where the Grail resides.
I can only share what I do and hope it reaches people. But I will carry on for as long as I can doing just that.
Thank you, and I hope my new gallery will grow with many wonderful stories about people who shine with their own inner light, and I hope you will feel that you can share those stories.
Here's the link to the Gallery.
www.flickr.com/photos/193518971@N02/galleries/72157722663...
Shelley xx
And not forgetting the usual shameless promotion..
If you would like to see more of my work, have a look at my website as well, at:
The Grail Keepers Gallery
Hello everybody, all my love and best wishes for Easter Day.
Just thought I would let you know I have started a new gallery on my Flickr Account and that gallery is called the Grail Keepers.
I spoke about this a little bit in my last upload, where I talked about the concept of modern day Grail Keepers.
So I thought I would start to expand a little on the idea here on Flickr.
If you have followed my work or are among my dear friend's on here you will know about my obsession with the Grail.
So obsessed with it that I take out a selection of grails that I have in my collection to photograph them and see what happens. The best get turned into works that get loaded up here or on my website.
But lately I have felt that the Grail has more to tell us. I have loved the tales and its history from my early childhood. I cannot remember a time when I was not entranced with it.
The history of the Grail is one that many are familiar with and many have created works of art, film, books and images about it, adding their love, fascination or even ridicule to its catalogue.
For me it is a way of directly experiencing the Divine. When I take photographs of my Grails in the landscape or within a location something happens and I will often be transcended in some way.
I try to remain focused and take my shots of what is happening, hoping that it transfers to the image and the atmosphere can be sensed.
So this is one creative and spiritual outlet for me, but the concept of the Grail and what it stands for can be utilised in our modern era.
In the past I have painted some characters who have epitomised the Grail Keeper in my mind. Tradition has it that the first Grail Keeper was Joseph of Arimathea, who was a Pharisee who assumed responsibility for the burial of Jesus after his Crucifixion. Here there are many legends, which I will not repeat here, except that it became almost accepted that Joseph brought the Cup of the Last Supper to Britain for safe keeping, and thus began the Legends of The Grail.
This has always entranced me and the legend goes on, explaining that there were successive Grail Keepers who were responsible for its secret hiding place.
Now in our modern times, what can the Grail show us, teach us? I started to go on a personal quest with it myself, with my photography, and there is no doubt that it has given me much comfort.
But what if it could be helpful in other ways? What if those Grail Keepers in our modern era become those who uphold all that the Grail stood for? This way it could be a positive message, but also a practical one, to inspire and help people.
So I thought of inspiring figures from the past and the present, who had these ideals. Then I considered that this could also apply to those people we might not hear about, but who have become loved in their communities or within their families.
What if we could celebrate and honour these people in the medium of photography? So I have set up my new gallery, the Grail Keepers. What I need is your images, your memories, your choices of Grail Keepers, past or present day.
I would love for you to send me a message or links to your photos, if you want to share someone’s story in this gallery.
I turn on the news and I find I am instantly depressed by it or even angered. Some of it cannot be helped, of course not. But it seems to me that there is a glorification in disaster and mayhem at the moment. Misery is feeding on itself.
I find that some of our leaders and politicians in the world seem to have lost touch with ordinary people. They have lost their common decency.
I think it is time for the ordinary person to take back their lives, but in a positive way, not through violence. But I also think that this can only be done by ourselves by example.
It won’t be easy. But we are in danger of drowning out the voices of kind, loving people, who just want to live their lives. I know you are out there, because you have talked to me.
I will uphold the Grail and all it stands for until my last journey, and even then I suspect I might be put to work.
I hope to expand on my work and thoughts about this not only here on Flickr, but on my website. I really want my website to be a safe place, where the Grail resides.
I can only share what I do and hope it reaches people. But I will carry on for as long as I can doing just that.
Thank you, and I hope my new gallery will grow with many wonderful stories about people who shine with their own inner light, and I hope you will feel that you can share those stories.
Here's the link to the Gallery.
www.flickr.com/photos/193518971@N02/galleries/72157722663...
Shelley xx
And not forgetting the usual shameless promotion..
If you would like to see more of my work, have a look at my website as well, at: