Small Stag Batik Original
The first time I seen a buck, I was 8 years old hanging out the back window of my dads red Escort on Boxing Day in Ireland. It was at a Boxing Day hunt.
I watched the huntsmen drink their shots of amber liquid like heroes and walked hand in hand with my dad through the giant horses freshly clipped that fidgeted with adrenaline and the tails of the hounds whipping against me with excitement. The collected energy was intimidating as a child and my dad explained to me what would happen next. I remember my eyes doubling in size at his description and I said a silent prayer for the stag. The bugle sounded and the noise of the hounds gowling was deafening. They all disappeared shouting and cheering, chopping through the muddy fields after the hounds at full speed.
Back into the car we followed the hunt with many other spectators along the narrow country roads for the next few hours, until we lost them. Each car rolling down the window asking if we'd seen them. By the time we were totally lost my belly rumbled so loud and that's when we started back towards home.
I remember staring out the window in silence wondering what happened the stag as we drove home slowly over the bumpy country roads. My breath steamed up the cold winter windows on the car and I gave it a wipe with my coat sleeve.
There he stood. A field away camouflaged by the leafless hedge. I wanted to look around at my family and squeal with excitement that I spotted the stag, but I was hypnotised with awe. His sides panting and his hot breath steaming in the cool air, his head high listening intently. His strength and energy wrapped so perfectly in grace and beauty. Living by his intuition, his split-second ability to assess his surroundings and quickly run to where it may be safer had saved him that day. I watched him till he was out of sight and I sat back in my seat as a warm content feeling ran through me, that I had worked together with a stag in my prayer to keep him safe that day. A sight I will never forget and a memory to treasure.
Its my hope that this batik piece will encourage the viewer to live by their intuition to assess their surroundings and know when they need to move on from where they are that is not serving them well.
Over all size Approx 40 inches x 28.5 Inches Created in a unique rustic non traditional batik style using a mixture of bees wax and a few other secret tools and ingredients from natures art supply store!
