Ellen Hofrath - Stovall Today I will do something different. I want to invite you to a journey, to have a look at how my creative process works. A sneak peak over my shoulder. Shall we? I hope you´re interested.
Long time before I started painting, writing was my first creative love affair. I wrote short stories and longer ones, and I loved to write letters. Then paint entered my life and writing stepped back a bit. Of course never out of sight, that's why I do this column`. And I already wrote a book last year. I talked about it in my first article for this magazine, before I even got my column. “My Body Tells My Story” is a Photobook, text and photos complete each other. My main focus still is on painting and drawing. For quite a while I was trying to create a character, a signature figure so to say. Unfortunately I'm really bad at drawing realistic humans, I can't draw them, even if my life would depend on it. No way. Don´t get me wrong: I´m working on it, I am practicing. But obviously it's not meant for me. I tried comic-style, stick figures. But no, it didn't feel right. Up to last week. It finally clicked! Cassandra and Goliath entered my life and it looks like they intend to stay here for a while. First I did one or 2 drawings and posted them on Instagram. They didn't even have names. But they took over at light speed. At least 2 drawings every day. They just popped out of my head. I don't even have to think about it. My followers liked them instantly and shared them. But how to name them? I did a survey and got some hilarious suggestions. As an inside joke my followers wanted a name from Greek mythology. So “Cassandra” was born, “Goliath” for her bat-pet was a natural choice then. After that the questions came in: What is it? Why? … So the next logical step was to write their history. It will probably be a picture book. But not for children. I think Cassandra prefers the company of women, or men with a sense of humor. Maybe you have already looked at the drawing at the end of this article and have your own questions. Here is the first chapter of the book, where I introduce them “...Cassandra is a typical single woman who lives with her pet. Well, maybe not completely typical, as her pet Goliath is a bat. A black fuzzy bat. They have been together for quite a while.As she never wanted to end as a “crazy old cat-lady” a bat was the most obvious choice - At least for Cassandra. Cassandra average high, has a female (a very female) statue, her red skin is soft as velvet and her shiny halo is a nice accent on her horns....Why are you staring at me? “That's not average, or typical?”. What? Oh, I understand! Didn´t I mention that she is a devil? No, not really a devil, not only: She´s a Dangel? An Angil? No, she's just Cassandra, half angel, half devil. Cassandra`s mother was quite a character. This kind of angel does not exist anymore. She was wild, a free spirit with a weak spot for bad boys. Her wildest time was during anera, comparable with our human 1980ies, they said there as they say it here: “When you remember this time, you didn't live it”.And she really lived it, to the fullest. Elysium was the spot to be, the place to be for any supernatural, a kind of neutral place for them. And they had their “herbs and shrooms”, which unfortunately or fortunately react on moon phases and planet constellations. At least that´s the story that is told to explain how Cassandra came into existence. Cassandra is a miracle, a divine impossibility. Angels and devils are incompatible, they can not have children together. Never. Never, never ever besides this time. And not alone this, she's also a one-night-wonder. Nobody actually knows who he was. Tja, what should I say, the 80ies, you know? But that didn't matter to Casssandra (never call her Cassie!) and her mom. They never seemed to miss him. They lived together till mom went to a hippie commune in Bali to learn belly dance or something like that. The usual mom-stuff, you know. As Cassandra has the anatomy of angel and devil, she was supposed to decide where to live, to choose a side, so to say. But that's not her. So she moved into the human world, and likes it a lot. She lives in her little house, together with Goliath, her bat, tons of books about witchcraft and Tarotcards, as well as lovestories and hardcore crime stories. She loves men, yoga, and dancing. A typical single woman, as I said…” I hope you enjoyed this inside. And if you are interested in Cassandra, Goliath and their story, follow me on Instagram, where I post my drawings and keep my followers updated about the book. As Cassandra would say: “The sky's the limit”. Follow your dreams, and don't forget your cocktail when you take a bath! See you next month :) Cassandra and Goliath on a walk Cassandra ad Goliath chill in a tub Cassandra and Goliate swing
Cassandra and Goliath Yoga
Cassandra Dancing Cassandra Meditates Cassandra and Goliath the sky is the limit Cassandra sweet little heartbreaker You may reach Ellen at : bunteinspirationen@gmail.com on Instagram: ellenberlin1 Bio: Ellen Hofrath-Stovall was born in 1965 She is living in Berlin/Germany 2 Daughters, 3 grandchildren single Painting since 2012, self-educated several exhibitions in cafes and restaurants Reproduction of all or any part of material of Ellen Hofrath©, including previous posts, without the express written permission from Planet Starz, Inc. is strictly forbidden. **Note from Natalie: Ellen is someone I discovered on Instagram and immediately we became friends. I thought what a nice addition to the ezine this would be to have a column for her. Enjoy her work every month here at Mystic Living Today** |
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