Ghost Fern
A 10-inch Fallow Deer Frame Drum on a Hand-Bent Willow Hoop
She remembered herself into being,
She began with a wild fallow deer that once moved through the woodlands and hedgerows of the Welsh borderlands, walking among elder, oak, fern, bracken and rosebay willowherb. Before the hide found its new voice as a drum, those same companions were invited back one final time as a remembering of relationship
The skin was gently stained with wild elderberries gathered from my own land. Across her face lies the quiet imprint of a fern, emerging not through paint or ink but through the slow conversation between hide, plant, water and time.
I have just allowed her to become what she wished .
One of the things I speak about often in my work is relationship. Not creating on nature, but creating with her.
After years of working with deer, I have found one thing to be true. When we stop trying to make something beautiful, and instead become curious about what the hide itself is
remembering, something extraordinary begins to unfold.
The work ceases to be ours alone. Instead It becomes a collaboration between deer, plant, water, earth, weather, season... and the quiet willingness to listen.
Perfectionism rarely survives where true relationship begins.
Elder
In the old stories of these lands, elder has long been regarded as a threshold tree.
Our ancestors believed she stood between worlds, rooted in the seen while quietly reaching into the unseen. She was treated with deep respect, and to cut an elder without first asking permission was thought to invite misfortune. She was the keeper of boundaries, memory and transformation, reminding us that every ending carries within it the possibility of another beginning.
It feels fitting that elder should leave her mark upon a deer hide preparing to become a drum Both are threshold beings and both ask us to listen more deeply than we speak.
The hues of purple, grey and blue left by the elderberries feel like quiet memory of a season and conversation.
Fern
Fern has always held its own mysteries.
Across Britain and much of Europe, old folklore tells of the elusive fern seed, said to appear only for a fleeting moment on Midsummer's Eve. Those fortunate enough to find it were believed to gain sight beyond ordinary seeing, to glimpse hidden worlds, understand the language of animals or walk unseen between places.
Whether or not our ancestors believed these tales literally almost feels beside the point. Fern has always invited us into mystery, its unfurling fronds remind us that not everything reveals itself at once.
Some wisdom asks us to move slowly, to wait, to return, to listen for the sound beneath the silence
The delicate ghost of fern left upon this hide feels less like an image and more like a blessing, fleeting memory from the woodland itself.
Willow
Ghost Fern is held upon a hand-bent willow hoop. Willow has always been the tree of flexibility and resilience.
She teaches that strength is not found in resistance but in knowing how to bend with the changing seasons without breaking.
Growing beside rivers and wetlands, willow has long been associated with water, intuition, dreams and the moon. She reminds us that life moves in cycles rather than straight lines, asking us to trust the currents that carry us rather than clinging to certainty.
To hold this drum is to hold deer, elder, fern and willow together, each offering their own wisdom and each carrying their own story.
At just 10 inches, Ghost Fern is a wonderfully intimate companion.
She slips easily into a backpack or shoulder bag, making her the perfect drum for woodland wanderings, pilgrimages, quiet sits beneath old trees, ceremonies around the fire or simply accompanying the rhythm of everyday life.
Though small in size, her voice is warm, clear and unexpectedly resonant.
She is a drum that speaks of relationship, one to walk with, listen too and remember with.
Her colour may fade and change overtime, which feels like a continuation of a conversation with the more than human world.
Finished with a pheasant feather and bucking covering on her handle.
She is £175, plus p&p or kerbside collection if you are local to Ludlow.
Ghost Fern
A 10-inch Fallow Deer Frame Drum on a Hand-Bent Willow Hoop
She remembered herself into being,
She began with a wild fallow deer that once moved through the woodlands and hedgerows of the Welsh borderlands, walking among elder, oak, fern, bracken and rosebay willowherb. Before the hide found its new voice as a drum, those same companions were invited back one final time as a remembering of relationship
The skin was gently stained with wild elderberries gathered from my own land. Across her face lies the quiet imprint of a fern, emerging not through paint or ink but through the slow conversation between hide, plant, water and time.
I have just allowed her to become what she wished .
One of the things I speak about often in my work is relationship. Not creating on nature, but creating with her.
After years of working with deer, I have found one thing to be true. When we stop trying to make something beautiful, and instead become curious about what the hide itself is
remembering, something extraordinary begins to unfold.
The work ceases to be ours alone. Instead It becomes a collaboration between deer, plant, water, earth, weather, season... and the quiet willingness to listen.
Perfectionism rarely survives where true relationship begins.
Elder
In the old stories of these lands, elder has long been regarded as a threshold tree.
Our ancestors believed she stood between worlds, rooted in the seen while quietly reaching into the unseen. She was treated with deep respect, and to cut an elder without first asking permission was thought to invite misfortune. She was the keeper of boundaries, memory and transformation, reminding us that every ending carries within it the possibility of another beginning.
It feels fitting that elder should leave her mark upon a deer hide preparing to become a drum Both are threshold beings and both ask us to listen more deeply than we speak.
The hues of purple, grey and blue left by the elderberries feel like quiet memory of a season and conversation.
Fern
Fern has always held its own mysteries.
Across Britain and much of Europe, old folklore tells of the elusive fern seed, said to appear only for a fleeting moment on Midsummer's Eve. Those fortunate enough to find it were believed to gain sight beyond ordinary seeing, to glimpse hidden worlds, understand the language of animals or walk unseen between places.
Whether or not our ancestors believed these tales literally almost feels beside the point. Fern has always invited us into mystery, its unfurling fronds remind us that not everything reveals itself at once.
Some wisdom asks us to move slowly, to wait, to return, to listen for the sound beneath the silence
The delicate ghost of fern left upon this hide feels less like an image and more like a blessing, fleeting memory from the woodland itself.
Willow
Ghost Fern is held upon a hand-bent willow hoop. Willow has always been the tree of flexibility and resilience.
She teaches that strength is not found in resistance but in knowing how to bend with the changing seasons without breaking.
Growing beside rivers and wetlands, willow has long been associated with water, intuition, dreams and the moon. She reminds us that life moves in cycles rather than straight lines, asking us to trust the currents that carry us rather than clinging to certainty.
To hold this drum is to hold deer, elder, fern and willow together, each offering their own wisdom and each carrying their own story.
At just 10 inches, Ghost Fern is a wonderfully intimate companion.
She slips easily into a backpack or shoulder bag, making her the perfect drum for woodland wanderings, pilgrimages, quiet sits beneath old trees, ceremonies around the fire or simply accompanying the rhythm of everyday life.
Though small in size, her voice is warm, clear and unexpectedly resonant.
She is a drum that speaks of relationship, one to walk with, listen too and remember with.
Her colour may fade and change overtime, which feels like a continuation of a conversation with the more than human world.
Finished with a pheasant feather and bucking covering on her handle.
She is £175, plus p&p or kerbside collection if you are local to Ludlow.
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