Part of Tony Clarkin's brief was to include the Storyteller, in his purple robe, as a reluctant warrior kneeling with his sword.  Tony also mentioned false prophets and a hall with pillars with a light source giving a smoky or indistinct background.

As you can see, I settled for a symmetrical layout with four pillars.  In numeric terms the number '4' represents the Earth (with it’s four corners, etc).  I wanted a key rune or something to be inlayed on each pillar.  So,  I chose to represent the four elements as defined by Plato, Aristotle and others, i.e. "Earth", "Air", "Fire" and "Water".  I also wanted to include an additional element, Aristotle's fifth element - "Aether" (or The Void/Eternity).  This extra symbol, "AE" is represented on the front outer ring of the "initiation" circle on which the Storyteller is kneeling, offering his sword and commitment.

At the warrior's feet, on the ruby red centre of the circle, is a broken hour glass (from 'Storyteller’s Night') representing the ending of time and space and an acknowledgement of Eternity as the destiny of mankind.

The staring serpent has four rings around its neck and its forked tongue has flickered into view. The tongue itself (together with the snake) is universally recognised as the metaphor for a lie. In my view, the most convincing lies are the ones that include a measure of truth to make the message palatable, hence the one side of the forked tongue being blue for truth and the other red for lies (or vice versa!)

Each of the windows in the hall has have a beam of diffused light – red one side and blue the other. There are many questions here (for the fans), not the least of which is the nature of the snake – is it friend or foe; and what relationship has it with the Storyteller, if any?

With my head full of graphic musings concerning elements, time and eternity, I went into the little ancient church in our village to assist Sarah with her flower arranging task for the day.  Finding myself with an idle moment I climbed the few steps to the pulpit where a gigantic Holy Bible was left open at 2 Peter 3:8.  I started to read: "But do not forget this one thing friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a day."  A comment on eternity! Then, in 2 Peter 3:10: 'But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare."

Heavy stuff, eh?

Next week I look forward to giving you the big reveal of my most recent painting - a Christmas image for a project that I am working on with Oliver Wakeman!