At the end of my last blog Gift of the song I left you with the name of a song that I had been gifted by a fallen Oak tree.

• I am part of the spirit of the woods and the water,
• Part of the earth a dreaming.
• Part of the sky above us shining
• Part of all things breathing
• I am the wind and the rain and the clouds a blowing
• The sun and the stars and the moon a glowing
• A babies breath an old man snoring
• Part of the river of life in all things.

Here is a link to the actual song in its entirety

https://soundcloud.com/kingwjohn/rhythm-of-life?fbclid=IwAR3F69vKR7tRcFBrccMrZqViHZQmVvGUOZ-JKAlhdtOeOBkHjhVOJlySX_M

In July I had the chance to attend a body painting weekend and this song was the theme for my body paint.

I sat in circle with others and sang. Afterwards three women artists asked me if they could work with me to bring that song into artistic form. The following morning after dropping my dressing gown in the corner of the studio I was gifted with the artistic talents, love and attention of these wonderful painters

I had not been in this situation before and had felt a little uncertain but as the morning progressed and with the banter and chat around the studio, together with cups of coffee and pieces of cake I started to understand what a special opportunity I was being given. The whole process was about them offering me a chance to further connect with myself and my place within the natural order of things. It was good natured and completely normal. In total it took ten hours of work to completely cover me with the song from my hair to my toes.

After a break for lunch I was invited to wander out into the surrounding woodlands, fields and river that form the property I had an entourage consisting of an artist to touch up any smudged bits of the painting and three excellent photographers. The previous evening I had chosen areas that had called to me and we visited each in turn with a chance for me to literally merge with the land. The time just flashed by and then it was time to disconnect and wash off .

Would I do it again? In a flash, it was the most remarkable opportunity. Would I do anything different? It was all over far too soon so if there is a next time, after the photographs are finished, I will take a couple of hours to go off by myself to sit undisturbed in the wild and process things.

I cannot end this blog without giving my heartfelt thanks to Rachéle Howard, Rachel Blackwell and Sarah Long the artists who treated me with such care and respect and to Elaine Gregory and all those at Wildways on the Boyle and the Wildways body painting project. All photos courtesy of and copyright to the photographers, Elaine Gregory and Maurita Van Droogenbroeck.

If you wish to see more of Rachel’s wonderful art work check out her website at https://rachelablackwell.co.uk/?fbclid=IwAR38gJ3LLjOA4-wIRhzonI0v3hJRrup7oiL-X2-DerpTlDdEBnPohiS_ArI