.. i've often found that when I have drawn portraits for clients the response has invariably been as inspirational for me as well as for the client. I refer to two specific stories to illustrate..                                                                                A lady from Wales contacted me with a request for a portrait. She was unclear as to what she required and asked if I would connect with the spirit world and provide her with a drawing. I found myself drawn to this request as it allows for greater expression of the spirit world to come through, the mind of the artist is then able to step further back.                                                           I spoke with my son prior to starting the drawing. I spoke of a gentleman gently making his presence known to me, on his shoulder sat a magnificent Barn Owl the two inextricably bonded. My Son was quiet then said he felt the presence of a Bat. Unusually I dismissed the suggestion of the Bat and its possible connection to the owl and the gentleman and proceeded to walk over to my studio to start the drawing (to be honest I may have dismissed the idea of the Bat because I felt unfamiliar to how exactly I could draw a Bat, an example of how an undisciplined mind can get in the way – often I can forget to trust in the intelligence of the spirit world). I showed my son the finished drawing. He was somewhat dismayed by the absence of the bat and insisted that I should include it. I decided to take a quiet walk in the woods, on returning to my studio I sat quietly with the drawing of the gentleman and the owl and after some time I too felt the bat and the drawing was complete.

It was at this moment that my husband came into the studio at around 22:00 hours it was dark outside and the light of the studio escaped from the door as he entered,  we spoke briefly about the Gentleman the owl and the Bat, and suddenly I was aware of a small fast moving shadow, as I look up to my surprise a bat had flown in through the open door, it was circling above our heads, in silence and astonishment at the synchronicity my heart smiled.

This was the first time and at time of writing this the last time a bat has ever come into the studio. We eventually convinced the reluctant bat to leave, and I sent a photograph of the completed spirit drawing to the lady in Wales.

Having received the portrait she called me to say that she was immediately drawn to the gentleman in the painting. She felt him to be kind and gentle. She referred to the fact that she had recently and very unusually come across a barn owl on a daytime walk. It was perched on a branch just staring at her.   She felt that it had a message but was unclear as to what the message may be. She also referred to the fact that she had a healing practice in the loft of an old, restored barn, that bats are regular visitors and that she continuously hears owls at night.  

In what I considered to be a very glowing comment demonstrating that the spirit world speaks through spirit art she stated, “I love the portrait, when you feel that you can hear art then you know it’s good”.  

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