Indy is a self taught artist from Nottingham, UK. Growing up in the Nottinghamshire countryside and exploring the vast folklore of the land - including the infamous Robin Hood - led to a love of British wildlife and ancient folklore. The birth of her first child sparked a love and awe for feminine power and periods of deep introspection have led to intertwining these passions into her art. Through her paintings she hopes to bring attention to the connection we have to the forces around us, how nature can guide us and connect us to our own inner worlds, serving as a constant yet permanently changing reminder that we all came from and return to Mother Earth. In this digital age the world is becoming more and more isolated and disconnected from nature and their own uniqueness; Indy's work aims to bring people back to their ancestral connection to nature and themselves.
Nature, Connection and Feminine Magic
Indy Townsend
Pieces
Please click on each piece to see the depth, meanings and inspirations for them.
£450
Solace
Acrylic on Canvas, A2
Nature, peace, a sweet moment, ‘Solace’ represents those glimpses we get of the slow life we dream of. It could be a moment of stillness on a nature walk, seeing the sun rays beam through the trees and hearing the birds sing. It could be laughs at the dinner table with your family, remembering the innocent joy of childhood and feeling gratitude to be able to create that afresh with a whole new life. Or perhaps that quiet time before bed as you think of all the things in your life to be grateful for and how many dreams are already coming true. ‘Solace’ reminds us that in those chaotic days there is still peace - though the glimmers may seem far and few between - and it is within ourselves, within our shared connection with nature and the world around us; all we need to do is pause, breathe and ground down. The Moths represent the fleeting-ness of hard times and their ability to be reborn anew when a different light is shone upon them.
£350
Hibernation
Acrylic on Canvas, A3
We live this life in cycles - the seasons, the moon, the day and the night, life, death, decay and rebirth. When we embrace these cycles we create magic, our lives add up and make more sense. As women we build foundations for life each month, a growing potential, a seed, an idea. Then we shed it, let go of what we don’t need and grieve the loss of what could have been, all to start afresh in our journey of growth. This is why women are so powerful, every month we build and grow, shed and rest, dream and plan - month after month. ‘Hibernation’ is about embracing the darkness of these cycles both monthly and seasonally. Allowing ourselves to slow down as we shed layers gives us the chance to recuperate, root ourselves down and grow back stronger. Coming in to Autumn we should mirror the retreat of nature, buckle down into our soil and allow the seeds of all the dreams dreamt in the summer months to simmer and shoot, ready to blossom come spring.
£350
The Guardian
Acrylic on Wood Panel, 11" x 16"
‘The Guardian’ represents the protector of all life; the figure in our lives we feel safe with, feel truly heard and known with, the eco-warrior, the speaker of their own truths and shiner of lights upon the wonders of the world. In your life it could be a parent, a partner, a friend; we all need someone who allows us to be our true selves and guards us from the world which tries to dim our lights. In the same way, Nature needs Guardians, people who see the true power, magic and beauty of the natural world and do everything in their power to protect and share her beauty. This world is a complex place, with so many views, opinions and narratives. However, our true power lies within us, within our intuition and innate, ancestral knowledge and listening to these voices will illuminate the path to a more content life; knowing we aren’t fighting ourselves. These voices speak of connection, oneness and creativity, for me at least, what do your voices say?
£250
All Connected
Acrylic on Canvas, 12" x 12"
A web of life is woven everyday, through each and every one of our interactions, thoughts, dreams and actions. Each choice we make and each path we follow is connected to that of another, our social circles blend and flow into one another, ‘coincidences’ and ‘happenstance’ bring us exactly what we need, one good deed returns another. The more we tap into the interconnectedness of our lives - our connections with the people around us and the nature we interact with - and see that we are all one being, one consciousness, living on this small dot in the vast emptiness of space, the more we can make this life work for us. When we appreciate the inner workings of this web of life we can experience a heightened ability to be ‘in the right place at the right time’, increased manifestation powers and a deeper sense of belonging in this world where we are more and more often forced to be separate, individual and only out for ourselves. The power is in community, the power is in collaboration - with our people, places and nature.
£350
Full Moon
Acrylic on Canvas, A3
This piece was created around the Aquarius super moon which was an intense and emotional moon for me. Just like the sea, we are affected by the pull and push of the moons cycles, her power flowing through us, illuminating truths and encouraging times of retreat and darkness. The moon is a true encapsulation of the human experience, her cycles reflecting the light and dark of our psyches and her ebb and flow encouraging us to listen to our bodies and minds and take rest when we need. This particular Aquarius full moon was a ‘supermoon’ which means the Moon is slightly closer to the Earth and appears larger in the sky. This also means her effects on us are stronger and the lessons she is trying to teach are more poignant. This moon happened while the Sun was directly opposite in the sign of Leo, this combination of placements encouraged us to shed parts of our character which were not serving us, to let go of the masks we present to others and embrace our uniqueness.
£300
Digital World
Gouache on Cold pressed Watercolour Paper, A3
‘Digital World’ is a fight back against the world we’re living in which is full of digital media everywhere we look - social media, TV adverts, screens on the streets - and a reminder that we are one with nature and our true place is working with her, not trying to build her out of existence. This piece encourages us to let the loudness of this digital world fade into the background and allow ourselves to sink into the safety, comfort and connected-ness of the nature that is around us. As humans, when we come together, in community, surrounded by nature, a deep healing happens - a return to our ancestral ways, a return to what our bodies and minds know innately inside. The rise of social media and the digital world has happened too quickly for us to evolve into and it is having a huge and obvious effect on our mental health. I truly believe the cure to this is putting our phones away, finding our people and getting back to the land.
£300
The Moon
Gouache on Cold pressed Watercolour Paper, A3
The Moon is a huge inspiration to me in both my work and my life. She is a guiding light and a beacon of hope in the dark night sky. She is guidance, compassion and stillness. Following her cycles and surrendering to her darkness has given me great solace in my life, allowing her light to guide me just as nature follows her. Her times of darkness encourage us to find the lights in our lives, every month on the new moon I gather with a group of women and we sing, talk and dance around a fire, coming together to share our highs and our lows. Each full moon I take myself outside and sit and bask in her light, allowing her to illuminate all aspects of my life and the things I need to let go of to fulfil my potential and shine as bright as her.
Committing to these rituals in my life has given me so much and I recommend giving them a try yourself, even if its just taking the time to look at the moon in the sky every now and again, she’s a powerful and mysterious force.
£300
Rainbows
Gouache on Cold pressed Watercolour Paper, A3
You know how it goes... its a lovely sunny day then out of nowhere the rain starts coming down, you get absolutely drenched and just want to go home, but then the sun shines through again and up in the sky magic is made. Rainbows fascinate us all, I love their power to just stop everyone in their tracks and look up at the sky - something a lot of us don’t do enough! ‘Rainbows’ represents the ‘silver linings’ of life, the moments of beauty after the storm has passed, the little glimmer of hope after a hard time. It is also a reminder for me of the fleeting-ness of both bad times and good times, nothing in this life is permanent it is always changing and that goes for all the challenges we face as well as the happy times. Rainbows encourage us to really pause and appreciate the good times, and to remember that the hard times will also pass and grow into something else - perhaps something better than before.
£300
The Sun
Gouache on Cold pressed Watercolour Paper, A3
‘The Sun’ is a meditation on the interplay between the physical and the metaphysical, reminding us of the sun's role not only as the life-giving force that sustains our planet but also as a symbol of our eternal spiritual connection to the cosmos. It encourages us to remember we are all (humans, animals and plants alike) connected by our reliance on the Sun and that we must all work together to honour it. Traditionally the moon is seen as feminine and the sun as masculine - a bright light there to serve and honour us, power our creativity and shine a light on the true meanings of existence. Where the moon encourages us to slow down, the sun facilitates our day time, our summer and our bursts of energy and helps us find clarity and implement our plans after the introspection bought by the moon.
£300
Chaos
Mixed on Cold pressed Watercolour Paper, A3
Painting, for me, is a way of making sense of the world, of collating my thoughts into an image and calming my mind. This piece is named ‘Chaos’ because I started it at a time where my mind was very full and its creation was a meditative practice in calming the chaos. This was a fun experiment in blending my mixed media, abstract, figurative and nature focused works together and it represents the calming effects painting, as well as nature, has on me. I started this piece by scribbling all the words that painting is to me - such as “peace”, “calm”, “connection” and “growth” - then I just let it all out in the way I enjoy making abstract art; experimenting with texture, materials and colour. It all came together with the nature mandala, which is something I used to paint and create with nature a lot. I love the process of making a nature mandala - collecting small pieces of the world around me and creating a juxtaposition of order within the jumble of the natural world.
£400
Codes
Gouache on Canvas, A2
Creativity is a presence in all our lives, an entity we all have opportunity to build a relationship with. Taking time to open a channel of communication with your personal creativity can be extremely healing. Connecting to nature, to ourselves and rejoicing in the life around us can open this channel.
For me I find moments of stillness surrounded by nature, or moments of ecstasy surrounded by community are prolific for opening up this stream of creativity. And once you have channelled into it, it can become a part of your daily life. I see it as the stream of bright, colourful light depicted in this painting. It flows up from the Earth and down from the Skies and in between us all. There is a web of light and creativity connecting us all and in this web of connection is where ideas are born. This isn’t just traditional creativity and artistic pursuits, it encompasses all forms of creativity - from community building to child rearing, from paintings to dance. Creativity is a life source and the more we tap into it the more free we become.
£500
Portal
Watercolour and Gouache on Cold Pressed Watercolour Paper, A1
Deep in the woods, peace is found. A babbling brook, a weeping willow, plenty of mushrooms and a sweet little fox, what else could peace be made of? If only we all had a portal to travel to our special place. Fostering a deep relationship with nature, especially a particular place, can be deeply healing and restore our ancestral enchantment with the natural world. Next time you're surrounded by nature why not try and communicate with it, see it as a living entity, a character to form a bond with. Tell the space your story, allow it to take the burden of your thoughts off you for a moment. See the transformation that come with reconnecting to the world around us.
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