Work by Yvonne Tweedie :: Poem by Gerda Stevenson
Sgàthach
Warrior queen of legend, and martial arts teacher, Isle of Skye; mentor of the Irish hero Cú Chulainn, who sailed from Ireland to train with her.
From Quines by Gerda Stevenson
Artist’s statement
I think of this little box of books as a way of grouping the different layers of the story told within Sgàthach. The book form seemed to be the ideal way to illustrate both the overall atmosphere and the dramatic events referred to in the poem.
For me, the first line established the shadowy atmosphere I wanted to capture. This, with the rugged, wooded landscape determined my original choice of materials, colour and imagery. However, calmness was not to prevail in the poem and the addition of the colour red as a background was chosen to reflect the words of anger, rage and fear and unheeded warnings.