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umbra-arcana.bsky.social
Umbra Arcana 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️
@umbra-arcana.bsky.social
110 followers 380 following 100 posts
Ex-Merchant Sailor, Neurodivergent, Artist, Bookworm, Goth, Pagan and Cat Dad often found bumbling about in The New Forest and along the South Coast of the UK
He/Him or They/Them
Thoughts and musings are my own.
Art for sale: UmbraArcana.etsy.com
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umbra-arcana.bsky.social
Sketchbook additions from over the second May bank holiday weekend.
Image is of an unfinished black pen sketch on off-white paper depicting part of the Glamping at 5 Acres campsite near North Currey, Somerset. Image shows a sketchbook page with an abstract watercolour marker doodle in shades of violet and turquoise with cobalt blue linework Image shows a sketchbook page with an abstract painting in muted pastel hues and silver wax linework. Image is of a sketchbook page showing an black ink sketchbook of two foxgloves on a messy metallic watercolour background.
June 4, 2025 at 7:05 AM
umbra-arcana.bsky.social
Monday evening, I attended a workshop run by artist James Morgan Williams and hosted by The Southampton Art Society. His work draws inspiration from Celtic and Norse Mythology, and this is what I had painted by the end of the workshop.
Image depicts a sketchbook page with a painting of a mushroom being standing/growing in a patch of grass. Painting was created with a combination of W&N Cotman Watercolours and Faber-castell watercolour markers.
April 30, 2025 at 6:58 AM
umbra-arcana.bsky.social
It has been a while since I've really completed any canvases, but this is the most recently completed one. I haven't thought of a name for it yet.
The photograph shows an abstract painting on an easel. The focus point of the canvas is painted in turquoise and dark metallic blue while the rest of the canvas is painted in shades of silver, pthalo blue, prussian blue and payne's grey. The text in the bottom right of the canvas reads "Zaquiel '25 "
April 22, 2025 at 9:48 PM
umbra-arcana.bsky.social
Two new sketches were added to the sketchbook over the weekend. This is a sketchbook I am desperately trying to complete because I have a love/hate relationship with the paper inside it.
The photograph shows two pages out of an A5 sized sketchbook, the left-hand loose watercolour, and ink sketch shows part of the Chalice Well gardens in Glastonbury. The black ink line sketch focuses on part of a branch from one of one of the many plants in the aforementioned gardens.
March 17, 2025 at 1:14 PM
umbra-arcana.bsky.social
I finally finished up and varnished the canvas. I haven't thought of a suitable title for it yet. I photographed it in natural light, but sadly you need stronger sunlight (or blacklight) to really show off the glowing pigments in the piece.
The photograph shows a completed abstract painting hanging on a cream coloured wall. The painting is painted in different shades of red, orange, yellow brown, and grey. The painting is signed in the bottom right hand corner, in black, it reads 'Zaquiel '25 '. There is a little glare on the bottom right corner of the canvas due to the natural light.
March 1, 2025 at 5:11 PM
umbra-arcana.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers!

20/20

#booksky
#bookchallenge
#20bookchallenge
The photograph shows a paperback copy of The Triumph of The Moon, A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft by Ronald Hutton. The book is displayed on a grey and black velvet cushion.
February 14, 2025 at 6:13 PM
umbra-arcana.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers!

19/20

#booksky
#bookchallenge
#20bookchallenge
Photograph shows a hardback copy of the book Grow Your Own Drugs by James Wong. The book is resting on a grey and black cushion. There is also additional text under the main title of the book, which reads 'Easy recipies for natural remedies and beauty fixes ' and in the bottom right of the book cover there is a small BBC logo with text saying 'As seen on BBC'
February 13, 2025 at 3:15 PM
umbra-arcana.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers!

18/20

#booksky
#bookchallenge
#20bookchallenge
A photograph of a very battered 24 year old paperback copy of Castaways of the Flying Dutchman by Brian Jacques. The book is displayed on a black velvet cushion.
February 12, 2025 at 5:05 PM
umbra-arcana.bsky.social
I have finally managed to add a little more to the current canvas, but I think I need to dull down the orange on the bottom half, maybe lightly glaze it with an ultramarine blue or something similar. It glows really nicely under blacklight but it's too bright under indoor lighting.
The photograph shows an abstract painting on an easel. The background is painted in shades of red, orange, yellow, brown, and buff titanium. The focal point of the canvas is painted in shades of pale orange, bright orange, red, grey, brown, and gold. The photograph shows an abstract canvas on an easel. It is the same canvas as the previous photo, but it is shown under blacklight to highlight the uv reactive orange detailing that is not readily visible under normal indoor lighting.
February 11, 2025 at 9:53 PM
umbra-arcana.bsky.social
If you see this post your purple art 💜💙

This is one of my older encaustic works from 2019. I really do need to bust out the wax blocks more often
Image shows an encaustic painting of an abstract landscape in shades of blue, green, purple, and violet. The work is called "Moor and Mountain" and was painted by myself in 2019. In the bottom right of the painting in silver text, it says "Zaquiel '19"
February 11, 2025 at 12:04 PM
umbra-arcana.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers!

17/20

#booksky
#bookchallenge
#20bookchallenge
A photograph showing a paperback copy of Dance of the Goblins by Jaq D Hawkins. The book is displayed on a black velvet cushion.
February 11, 2025 at 11:51 AM
umbra-arcana.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers!

16/20

#booksky
#bookchallenge
#20bookchallenge
The photograph shows a paperback copy of Culpeper's Colour Herbal. The book is resting on a silver and grey velvet cushion.
February 10, 2025 at 6:14 PM
umbra-arcana.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers!

15/20

#booksky
#bookchallenge
#20bookchallenge
The photograph shows a paperback copy of Sabriel by Garth Nix. The book is displayed on a black velvet cushion
February 9, 2025 at 8:15 PM
umbra-arcana.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers!

14/20

#booksky
#bookchallenge
#20bookchallenge
The photograph shows a slightly dog-earred paperback copy of Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot. The book is resting on a grey and black velvet cushion.
February 8, 2025 at 2:26 PM
umbra-arcana.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers!

13/20

#booksky
#bookchallenge
#20bookchallenge
Image shows a copy of the book, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.
February 7, 2025 at 2:36 PM
umbra-arcana.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers!

12/20

#booksky
#bookchallenge
#20bookchallenge
Photograph shows an old and well worn copy of The Dragon and The George by Gordon R. Dickson. The book is displayed on a grey and black cushion.
February 6, 2025 at 7:47 PM
umbra-arcana.bsky.social
QRP with some of your aquatic themed art.

This is one of my older works from 2019.
Image shows an abstract encaustic painting of a coral reef in shades of red-violet, blue-green, and prussian blue, with white detailing where the waxes have been scratched away to show the bare card underneath.
February 6, 2025 at 4:46 PM
umbra-arcana.bsky.social
You probably can't see much difference, but I promise I added a little more brown into the base today.
The photograph shows an abstract work in progress canvas on an easel. The background of the canvas is in shades of yellow, orange, red, and brown, while the focal point is in shades of grey, brown, red, and pale orange. Heavy gel medium has been mixed into the paint of the focal point to create a thick spikey texture.
February 5, 2025 at 11:58 PM
umbra-arcana.bsky.social
Hi Davis, Thank you for hosting this art share.

My name is Zaquiel, I also go by Umbra and Umbra Arcana, depending on who you ask. I dabble with most mediums, but I have two clear favourites. They are encaustic waxes and acrylics. I lean heavily towards abstract landscape work.
The photograph shows a large canvas displayed on an easel. The canvas is an abstract seascape in shades of grey and silver. The name of the piece is "Monochrome Reflections" and was painted in early 2024 by myself using acrylic paint and molotow liquid chrome markers on canvas. Photograph shows a small canvas on an easel. The painting is of abstract florals in pink, teal, and yellow-green on a blue-black background with dotted details in neon yellow and neon pink. The piece is named "Night Pollen" and was painted towards the end of 2024 using acrylic paint on canvas. The photograph shows an abstract encaustic seascape in shades of red-violet, prussian blue, and blue-green wax with lines scraped out of the wax to show the white of the card below. This piece is called "Coral Reef" and was painted in December 2019 using a mixture of red-violet, prussian blue, and blue-green encaustic wax on white encaustic card. The photograph shows abstract encaustic wax work in shades of red-violet and prussian blue with details scraped out of the wax to show the white card underneath. This work is called "Paths of Light" and was painted in December 2019 using encaustic waxes on sealed white encaustic card.
February 5, 2025 at 11:46 PM
umbra-arcana.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers!

11/20

#booksky
#bookchallenge
#20bookchallenge
Photograph shows a hardback copy of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. The book is resting on a wooden desk, and partially resting on a space themed mouse mat.
February 5, 2025 at 4:07 PM
umbra-arcana.bsky.social
If you see this, quote with your nighttime/dark art! 💕
Image is on an encaustic painting. It shows a nighttime snowy landscape predominantly in pearlescent white and silver waxes, with hints of gold and copper wax on a black background. There is a full moon in a black sky, the distant high mountains are in pearlescent white the lower level mountains in silver, the rolling hills in a mix of silver and copper with the foreground in silver and gold with scratched out black details and dotted copper and gold details. The bottom right of the image has Zaquiel '19 signed/scratched into the wax.
February 4, 2025 at 11:17 AM
umbra-arcana.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers!

10/20

#booksky
#bookchallenge
#20bookchallenge
Photograph shows a paperback copy (and English translation) of Vampire Hunter D, Demon Deathcase by Hideyuki Kikuchi, with illustrations by Yoshitaka Amano. The book is displayed on a silver crushed velvet cushion.
February 4, 2025 at 10:52 AM
umbra-arcana.bsky.social
I made a little more headway with the current canvas today. I added on another impasto layer, and now it's back to the waiting game.
The photo shows an abstract painting in progress on an easel. The background of the painting is in shades of red, yellow, orange, and brown. The focal point in the central portion of the canvas is in shades of light orange, red, grey, and brown mixed in with a super heavy gel medium to give the focal point, a spikey look, and texture.
February 4, 2025 at 12:01 AM
umbra-arcana.bsky.social
If you see this, QRP a character with long hair.
Image is of a friend's RP character named Jascen. Jascen is a purple skinned tiefling with long black hair and ruby/port coloured horns. The sketch was done using derwent graphitint pencils on Daler Rowney fine grain cartridge paper way back in 2011. I still have the original sketch, but sadly, I lost contact with that particular friend. The handwritten text in the bottom left of the image says Jascen 04/01/11
February 3, 2025 at 11:51 PM
umbra-arcana.bsky.social
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers!

9/20

#booksky
#bookchallenge
#20bookchallenge
Photograph showing an old paperback copy of The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle.
February 3, 2025 at 7:46 PM