Spindrift & Spume I - IV

 

Spindrift & Spume I   15x15cm acrylic and mixed media on board   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Spindrift & Spume II   15x15cm acrylic and mixed media on board   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

So far a mini series but there may be more coming. They have been surprisingly difficult to get the balance between too much and not enough. I always find it hard not to fiddle. All four are available in my Folksy Store.

Spindrift & Spume III   15x15cm acrylic and mixed media on board   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Spindrift & Spume IV   15x15cm acrylic and mixed media on board   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Spindrift & Spume I -  IV   15x15cm acrylic and mixed media on board   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

The Nine Daughters of Ran - first edition complete

 

Nine Daughters of Ran   print and mixed media   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

The first set of Ran's daughters completed, each daughter mounted onto A4 paper with handprinted and painted net that binds them and suggests the presence of their mother Ran.

My intention had been to bind the daughters into a book format, a concertina so that they could be viewed in a linear format as below in this mock up.

Nine Daughters of Ran   print and mixed media   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

I thought that this would be a good way of displaying the progression from calm to stormy waters, shallows to the deep. To be able to do this I think they need to be on a smaller scale and I should have thought through the practicalities at the beginning as needing to join sheets to make a long enough concertina became clumsy and distracting. If I were to exhibit and present this set I think they might actually work better framed individually so maybe this isn't as much of a set back as I made it in my  head.

I intend to do nine editions of the nine images using the same base lino blocks, each with different inking and different hand finishing - same sea but different tides - as each set of nine will be made over a long period of time I expect each to develop in different ways with different outcomes and I am thinking different ways of being presented. The idea of binding in a book isn't completely abandoned just yet and is probably something that I will return to, time will tell.

This first set is one that I will keep, a keystone for how the project will develop which may take some years. I am releasing them as prints on RedBubble  individually, in threes and as a print of all nine together in the formats below, they are also available as greeting cards.

Ran's Daughters Blóðughadda, Himinglæva & Kólga   prints available at RedBubble   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Ran's Daughters Hrönn, Bara & Unnor   prints available at RedBubble   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Ran's Daughters  Dufa, Bylgia & Hefring   prints available at RedBubble   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Nine Daughters of Ran   prints available at RedBubble   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

As a February side quest for the darkest month this project has grown considerably, I had no idea at the start I would be completing just a first round in May. I am hoping that I will discover more about the mythology surrounding these ladies and also parallels with other myths from around the world their commonality and differences; the sirens, selkies and mermaids come to mind and I am sure there are many others as I cast nets in waters outside of Europe. I am sure that these stories passed along trade routes with a bit from here and a bit from there added and missed along the way but with a core of similarities. Maybe you have suggestions that I could research I would love to hear.

Daringly Deco Scallops - new design available at Spoonflower & RedBubble

 

Daringly Deco Scallop  new design available at Spoonflower and RedBubble ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Daringly Deco Scallop  new design available at Spoonflower and RedBubble ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

New designs added to my Coastal Collections of fabric, wallpaper, home accessories & gifts at Spoonflower and RedBubble. The scallop design features a reworking of a watercolour painting and the undulations with it made a subtle nod to Art Deco. I really enjoy working on patterns and putting collections together but I find thinking of names very HARD! If you have any coastal themed suggestions I would really appreciate the help.

The second design, Wave Stripes, (can you see what I did there?) is among new co-ordinates for the collection. There are also plains, spots, pinstripes and ticking stripes available and lots more. I recently made some patchwork grids using a selection of the designs by colour too.

Wave Stripes  new design available at Spoonflower and RedBubble ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Daringly Deco Scallop   new design
available at Spoonflower & RedBubble
©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Spiral drawing for May - 3 for 1 shells

 

May's spiral drawing for 2025   pencil on toned sketchbook page   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

I started but I couldn't stop! Three spirals for May as they are getting quite addictive. I'm chasing my tail still trying to catch up on projects that I feel should have been finished already. Sometimes things take longer than you think. I was hoping to be able to have the Ran's Daughters project finished and ready to share buy the end on April but it hasn't quite worked out that way. I am getting close though... even with distracting spiral drawings in the mix.

May's spiral drawing for 2025   pencil on toned sketchbook page   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

May's spiral drawing for 2025   pencil on toned sketchbook page   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

April's Spiral Drawing - Queen conch

 

March Spiral Drawing - pencil and ink on toned paper ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Sliding in at the end on the month with April's spiral drawing. This one was especially difficult to capture the spiral and descending order of size in the protrusions a couple of which were also bendy and different to the others. Isn't nature wonderful in all her perfect imperfections? She kept me on my toes anyway.

 

Ran's Daughters - Bylgia & Hefring

 

Bylgia - first experiment   mixed media   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

The current is strong, the net pulls....air bubbles amongst the glimmers...downwards dragging, deeper and deeper...twisting and turning...down...down...

Dancing Ledge - Dorset   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Hefring - first experiment   mixed media   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

The net is wrapping, sinuous, strong. Deeper, darker, colder...... still. Silent.

Ran's Daughters - Bara, Unnor & Dufa

Bara - first experiment   mixed media   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

The tempo is quickening....the breeze grows in strength....something is brewing.

Unnor  first experiment    mixed media   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Dufa   first experiment    mixed media   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

A stronger current, colder, deeper waters, a more insistent tug to the depths.

textures and colour mixing on my ink palette   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

March spiral drawing - common winkle

 

March Spiral Drawing - pencil on toned paper ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

The common winkle is a lovely little thing that come in a variety of colours and shades. Yellows are my favourite and I can't resist picking them up. I do always check to make sure that no one is home before they head to my pocket. They look like little jewels in the rockpools and washed up on the shore. As you can see the child in me still sorts them into colours.

Common winkles ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

I think I may have collected rather a lot over the years....

Common winkles ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Ran's Daughters - Himinglæva, Kólga & Hrönn

 

Himinglæva - colour inspiration and first experiement    mixed media   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Colour inspiration for mixing ink   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Kólga - first experiment   mixed media   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Colour inspiration   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Ink mix and Hrönn first experiment   mixed media ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

So far these ladies have been a little playful but I think we are about to see a sea change....

Ran's Daughters - Blóðughadda first steps and experiments

 

Colour inspiration - ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Daughter no.1 Blóðughadda ;

Mixing ink and applying with a palette knife   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

I began with mixing my inks using quite a bit of extender to aid transparency. To apply the ink to the lino block I used a palette knife varying the thickness of ink and intuitively laying down the colour. Whilst the initial image is starting as a lino print my intention is to layer different materials and techniques to result in a mixed media series. The print process will achieve a variation in textures that will enhance further layers.

The first six prints showing variations in ink application ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

 

You can see from the first six prints the variations in colour and tone. There is also good variations in texture between very fine flat ink and thicker raised areas and bare paper, this will make interesting surfaces to work with other materials.

I printed a few more variations, my intention is to make some art books (a page for each daughter) and it feels right that there will be nine - maybe with Ran linking each page, or possibly to present each of the daughters mounted as one image. I am sure I will disappear down a few rabbit holes along the way. It feels good to be working on a big long term project. 

I have started using one print and drew into it with coloured pencils, pencils and ink. I am still feeling my way a bit. A minutes sunshine drew some lovely shadows across the page.

Colour inspiration - ©2025LisaLeQuelenec

Experiment I - Ran's Daughters - Blóðughadda   mixed media   ©2025LisaLeQuelenec