Crop Circle - Peacock

The new Crop Circle and Wildlife series of paintings and
drawings are Joanna May’s most recent work and have been created in celebration
of Joanna’s 20 years in business.

As an artist based in Wiltshire, Joanna is well known for
depicting her love of the county through its wildlife and landscapes. Crop
circles are very much a part of the county’s summer landscape and have always
held a particular fascination for her. They are a phenomenon of mystery, magic,
and enchantment. To this day, there is speculation as to who creates them and
why there are so many in Wiltshire; a question that remains unanswered.

Joanna decided to link the crop circles’ symbolism to
Wiltshire’s indigenous wildlife, for example, a symbol representing wisdom with
an owl. However, when she started to research the subject further, she
discovered that many more of them depicted animals, birds and insects. It
inspired her to paint them in detail, reproducing indigenous British folk art
and evoking a sense of awe through stunning intricate and complex geometric
designs. Also, as far as possible, her aim was to celebrate wildlife which could
be found local to the crop circle, wandering or flying in the fields they
honoured, for example, a native owl such as a barn owl next to the Owl Crop
Circle or a fox next to the, so called, Cat Crop Circle as the animal looked
more like a fox.

The Bee and Butterfly Crop Circles were wonderful
discoveries and help us to rejoice in the insect population so much in decline,
but essential to Wiltshire’s eco system. Therefore, she chose a honeybee and a
common blue butterfly, insects which are very much a part of this celebrated
landscape.

The peacock, although obviously not indigenous to Wiltshire,
was, she felt, an appropriate link to the Phoenix Crop Circle as in Asian
culture the peacock was often referred to as a phoenix. The stunning design in
the crop circle echoes the beautiful shape of a peacock.

As can be seen, Joanna has added a sense of glamour to the
designs created between the crop circles and wildlife by embellishing them with
liquid gold, burnished to form lines within the sphere which catches the light
so beautifully.