Keith English Blog

Freyja Pilgrim, for you I hold the Amber Necklace As you search for it through Odin's pageantry beneath a Nordic Morning Star. The secrets of great Yggdrasill are spelled out for you within the Runes of Fate. And Asgard holds the power of life and death; peace and war. I keep the secrets safe for you until you open up the gate.                                                                             poem by Jodieanne Keith and I began our path of study by reading everything in sight concerning all the world religions. He had dyslexia and found reading difficult so I read aloud to him as he painted.  We did not delve into paganism, however, as we had both been raised in Christian homes and we were left with the impression that this was a darker path than we wished to study.  ...

Hauling in the Nets at Sunrise The hardworking fisherman was admired by Keith and often was the subject of his early paintings. He came from a working class family. His father was a painter but not of pictures. He worked for a firm that painted practical things. Keith was born in Ashton-Under-Lyne and was raised in Cheadle Hulme along with his older sister Joyce. (His niece Megan and her family live in and around neighbouring Stockport to this day.) When his Headmaster tried to convince his father to allow Keith to go to Art College, much to Keith's dismay the request was refused. "Get a trade, lad. It will never let you down." Keith was an avid footballer and played in goal. (He played football until his late 40's, after which he helped teach American youngsters soccer while living the winters in Florida. But I get ahead of myself!) Keith is the 4th one from the left, top row His father found him an apprenticeship with an electrical firm and Keith appli...

The Virgin and the Unicorn Keith had a fascination with the myths and legends of our planet Earth. He felt like these marvelous beings were in our consciousness for a reason. Why are unicorns much loved by our children? Why have they fascinated artists and story tellers throughout the ages? What is the symbology behind them? To Keith the unicorn represented purity of thought and action. The legend says that only those pure of heart can touch the unicorn and live. Love, Innocence, Purity and Power In this painting Keith represented these four qualities: love (the wise matriarch), innocence (the young woman), purity (the unicorn) and power (the lion). In Keith's paintings nudity is representative of complete trust and simple innocence. This painting has a gentle energy, even in the face of the powerful lion who rests quietly with inner mastery. A Touch of Innocence and A Secret Shared These are the two most purchased prints by children through all the years of o...