Linda Ursin - Mythical Artist

When trying to decide what style I wanted for my series on creatures from folklore, I made three different Unicorns. This is one of them

When trying to decide what style I wanted for my series on creatures from folklore, I made three different Unicorns. This is one of them

I’ve been curious about the myths and folklore about Wolverines for a while since they live just a bit further up the mountain here and is one of our larger predators. So when my friend Jonquil asked me to write a blog post about them, I couldn’t resist. And then I had to make a video from the post as well, to spread the info further. I made this drawing in relation to that video.

This was made for a youtube video where I tried to mainly paint the shadows

I made this for a challenge created by Rafi Perez & Klee. It was good to get back to painting and fun to break as many rules as possible :)

I created this Octopus for my blog, as a symbol of us multi-passionates on a blog post "Being a multi-passionate is both a blessing and a curse". I made it using watercolour and a fine-liner. You can find the link to my blog through the link in my bio. Go there and read it to find out what this is all about.

The unicursal hexagram is a six-pointed star which can be drawn in one continuous movement. The points aren’t equidistant, and the lines aren’t the same length (unlike a regular hexagram). You can, however, fit this hexagram inside a circle with all six points touching the circle. The origin of this particular hexagram is the group called Golden Dawn, an esoteric order in Great Britain. An adaptation created by Aleister Crowley is used as a religious symbol by Thelemites. The unicursal hexagram represents macrocosmic forces (sun, moon, and planets), a union of two opposites, and the union of two halves. That it can be drawing in one motion is important in ritual magic.

Nobody knows exactly what the spiral meant in the beginning, but some suggestions have been evolution, revolution, awareness of the one within the context of the whole, connectivity and union. For the background, I used a wet on wet technique again, and then dropped and splattered the same color.

An animal procession, specifically two goats, a pig, and a ram. The painting was based on a stone carving from a temple in Malta. Animal processions, especially those that are circular, are thought to portray the cycles of time, the same way the Zodiac does. The texture in the background was created by using a straw to blow the paint across the paper.

The Hermetic Cross. It's an alchemical symbol and is also referred to as the Cross of Hermes. The symbol was used as a watermark by printers during the English Renaissance, who claimed the God Hermes as the patron of their craft. The symbolic meaning is workmanship and skill, but also crossroads, and a blessing. The background texture was created using sandpaper.

The Zoroastrian Sacred Fire. The symbol represents The Sacred Fire as the provider of heat and light and the source of life and growth. The pattern in the background was created by lifting color.

The Tree of Life from the Jewish Kabbalah discipline. The background was created by printing with fabric.

Aum is a sacred sound and a spiritual icon in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. The character refers to Atman (soul, self within) and Brahman (ultimate reality, the entirety of the universe, truth, divine, supreme spirit, cosmic principles, knowledge). It's said to be the primordial sound by which the earth was created. The pattern in the background was created by blending the primary colors into the colors of the rainbow.

Khanda, the symbol of the Sikh doctrine Deg Tegh Fateh. This is a Sikh slogan that signifies the dual responsibility of the Khalsa: to provide food and protection for the needy and oppressed, regardless of their individual religion, caste or ethnicity. The background was created with bubble wrap.

Tanit was the Carthaginian and Phoenician Goddess of the moon, consort of the god Baal, and the Patron of the city of Carthage. The background was created by pushing color through lace.

This is a symbol from witchcraft; a Cauldron. It symbolizes the womb and, because of this, it's a Goddess symbol as well. The cauldron is also a symbol of wisdom, death and rebirth, transmutation, growth, and transformation. And of course hearth and home since it was used to prepare food. A cauldron is also connected to water and the ocean itself was by some cultures thought of as a great cauldron. In some myths, poetic and artistic inspiration came from an otherworldly cauldron. The background texture was created by letting the colors blend on a wet surface.

Khatan Suikh is a symbol of love and honesty from Mongolia. It's used on the man’s wedding ring. The background texture was created by letting colors run across wet paper.

The Double Spiral. In Celtic spirituality, it's a sign of balance between two opposing forces (life-death, creation-destruction, worldly-spiritual), cycles, creation, and growth. The earliest designs are thought to have some connection to the sun and other objects in the sky. The double spiral has also been said to represent the equinoxes since it's a sign of balance. The background texture was created by adding some sgraffito and brush marks.

A Native American symbol for Rain. It's important for life but it can be both life-giving and potentially deadly. The overall meaning of the symbol changes depending on the need for rain. Rain is a symbol for tears, sadness, sorrow, anger, cleansing, change, renewal, forgiveness, and usually on a large scale. Rain and raindrops were used as symbols for bountiful crops and fertility. The background texture was created to resemble sand by using a toothbrush to create a pattern of tiny droplets.

An Inuit rock sculpture found throughout the polar region. They're monuments made from rough stones and built to resemble humans. Inukshuks appear in different forms for a variety of purposes: navigation, direction, marking a memorial for a loved one or marking migration routes or fishing spots. The original purpose was for communication and survival and they traditionally mean "Someone was here" or "You're on the right path". The background texture was created using a sponge.

A Spindle hieroglyph from Egypt. The hieroglyph speaks of warding off, repelling, avoiding anger, preventing, punishment, and disapproval. The Spindle has been connected with fate, future, destiny, magic, and shamanism in many cultures. The background was created by allowing drops of water and paint to spread.

An Aztec Butterfly from Teotihuacan. The Aztec studied the insects and had a good grasp of their lifecycle. The Butterfly has been associated with the Goddess Itzpapalotl. She was a strong and ferocious goddess with butterfly wings and big claws on her hands and feet. She could appear in many different shapes, including a seductive woman, and a skeletal being with wings tipped with obsidian knives. She ruled the paradise of Tamoanchan, where victims of infant mortality resided and humans were created. The butterfly was one of the most frequently represented animals in Aztec art and represented transformation, as they still do in modern many cultures. The background was created by flicking paint on wet and dry paper

Tomoe from Japan. The scientists don't know for sure where it came from or what it means, but some believe it represents the threefold division (Man, Earth, and Sky) of the Shinto religion. It's found on Buddhist and Shinto temples all over Japan, as well as on family crests.The texture in the background was created crumpled waxed paper and some dry brushing.

The Jewish word Cha'i. Cha’i means living or alive in Hebrew. It's used a symbol of charity, longevity, and good fortune. Some choose to wear it as a medallion or amulet around their neck. The texture in the background was created by throwing paint soaked threads.

The Meness Zime (or Moon Symbol) from Latvia is a symbol found on knitted items and in embroidery. It's most closely related to farming. Farmers worshiped the Moon, as they knew it affects and promotes growth. The Moon was also the protector of soldiers and travelers, and the symbol was worn for protection. The texture in the background was created by covering some areas with acrylic paint before adding the watercolor.

The Celtic Triquetra. The symbol is also known as a "trinity knot". It's been found on runestones in Northern Europe and on early Germanic coins and is used by Wiccans as well as Germanic and Norse Pagans. But it's also been used by Christians as a sign of the Trinity. The background was created by masking and painting in layers.

The Knot of Eternity from Buddhism, and maybe especially Tibetan Buddhism. It's said to symbolize the Buddha's endless wisdom and compassion, the interaction of opposing forces, and interweaving of religion, time, and secular things. The texture in the background was created water and paint droplets.

One of the vultures from Anatolian tomb walls that are thought to symbolize resurrection. The texture in the background was created by scraping on paint using a credit card.

The Hermetic Seal of Light goes back to Pythagorean philosophy, where the square, circle, and triangle were emblems of body, soul, and spirit. These three elements were believed to be necessary for an alchemical transformation. Hermeticism is a religious, philosophical, and esoteric tradition primarily based on material that's said to have been written by Hermes Trismegistus (who some say is a representation of the God Hermes). The texture in the background was created with lace.

Hedgehogs have been symbols of renewal and regeneration all the way back to the Upper Paleolithic period. Some also say they represent the uterus. This particular hedgehog was from a Mycenean vase. The texture in the background was created by stamping with different objects covered in fabric.

A set of three lines, called tri-lines. Tri-lines ending in circular depressions are a common motif on ceramics from the Neolithic period in central Europe. They're thought to represent three parts of life or a triple Goddess. The texture in the background was created with lace.

A symbol for Kronos, the leader and youngest of the first generation of Titans in Greek mythology. He overthrew his father and ruled during the Golden Age until his own son Zeus overthrew him and imprisoned him in Tartarus. Plutarch believed that Kronos was an allegory for time, a personification of time itself. The texture in the background was created using a combination of masking fluid and salt.

For the eighty-third symbol, I painted a petroglyph commonly found in Northern Europe; a ship. There are many different ships, but they have some things in common in shape. They're thought to be related to renewal rituals, both for spring and when someone died. The texture in the background was created using hairs dipped in paint. Who do you think of when you read this? Maybe someone who has gon through a period of renewal?

The Egyptian Djed. It used to be worn as a powerful protective talisman by both the living and the dead. The background was created using a wet on wet technique, and some water spatter.

A Wiccan symbol for a blessing. The texture in the corners was created using salt.

The Wu symbol is from Chinese shamanism, also called Wuism, and stands for the shaman or wizard. The background was created as two colors meeting with a gap in between.