Dark Angels Note 178

Dearest Friends

Welcome back to our Friday Note – our weekly collection of writerly thoughts. 

Observing

Today would have been the birthday of Pamela Colman Smith (16 February 1878 – 18 September 1951). Known as “Pixie”, Smith was a British illustrator, writer, publisher and occultist.Smith wrote two books about Jamaican folklore, painted and exhibited watercolours, created arts magazine The Green Sheaf, produced theatrical illustrations, held weekly salons, and was mates with Bram Stoker and Ellen Terry.

Her most famous artistic legacy can still be seen today in the card illustrations of the Rider-Waite tarot deck, the most famous deck in the world, with over 100 million copies in circulation. 

Viewing

Two folios of cartoons, drawings and poems were found in a chest at Smallhythe Place. These colourful collections were written and illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith for her friend Ellen Terry while they toured America with the Lyceum Company.

View ‘Ellen Peg’s Book of Merry Joys’ in the National Trust collection. 

Writing

Smith is said to have had synaesthesia, a condition where a sensory experience triggers an additional cognitive or sensory experience, such as seeing colours as sound, or hearing music as shapes. In her case, she saw visions when she listened to music. It was initially brought on whilst listening to Bach, the visions inspired her art.

Try this: Choose some music to listen to. What words or pictures does it bring to mind?

Photo by petr sidorov on Unsplash