Avalon
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Avalon is known as the isle where the legendary sword Excalibur was forged, and as the final resting place of King Arthur after the Battle of Camlann where he fell in battle against Mordred. Arthur was taken to the mystical isle, not dead, but awaiting a time when he would be needed again to rise up and lead the people. The name of the island is often thought to be derived from the Old Welsh word for apple, and thus it is the Isle of Apples. It is this image that has always struck a chord for me -- the vision of a paradise, covered in lush and cultured growth that apple orchards call to mind. Some say that the actual town of Glastonbury was the ancient Avalon. Not a true island, it is instead surrounded by marshlands, and rising up above the fens is the towering bulk of Glastonbury Tor. I referenced the ruins of a monastery at Glastonbury for the architecture in this piece, borrowing from the entropy and adding the element of the fantastical, for isn't that what Avalon is? A place outside of time and outside of this realm of reality. A shadow-sister existence to Glastonbury, where a tor is an island and marsh is a magical lake. The power of myth resonating against reality.
Size: 16 x 22 inches Detail closeups:
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