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Riva (Becky Bryson)

@flotsam_fables

Flotsam Fables is the home of Riva - a visual artist, mixed media sculptor and doll maker based in the United Kingdom.

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Winter solstice blessings ❄️✨

How has it been for you?

I’ve found this time difficult. There’s a strong pull to slow right down, hide away and truly rest, yet this season often comes with its own pressures to finish off work jobs and projects, as well as being sparkly and social. I also want to see friends and family and feel connected, there never quite seems to be enough time for everything.

Here is a piece I had hoped to have finished by now. It’s nearly there. I’m reminding myself that some things simply need more time, and it’s okay to let them wait. 🌑🕯️

#wintersolstice #solsticeblessings #darkestday #seasonofrest #flotsam_fables

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Winter solstice blessings ❄️✨ How has it been for you? I’ve found this time difficult. There’s a strong pull to slow right down, hide away and truly rest, yet this season often comes with its own pressures to finish off work jobs and projects, as well as being sparkly and social. I also want to see friends and family and feel connected, there never quite seems to be enough time for everything. Here is a piece I had hoped to have finished by now. It’s nearly there. I’m reminding myself that some things simply need more time, and it’s okay to let them wait. 🌑🕯️ #wintersolstice #solsticeblessings #darkestday #seasonofrest #flotsam_fables

1 day ago

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1/6

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Dear wild ones 🌿✨ as we move toward the longest day, it really does feel like we’ve been in these dark days for a long while. I’ve been trying to meet this shadow time with presence and softness, responding to the cycle with flow rather than force. It hasn’t always been easy. Trusting that what needs to be done will happen, even as I allow myself a slower pace, has felt like a practice in itself. Last week, after meeting with a good friend and feeling aligned with synchronicity, I let myself wander into an antique barn instead of rushing home as I usually would. Inside were some real treasures waiting to be found, including the strangest little wooden feet and a beautiful antique birdcage, already whispering of future sculptures and stories 🕯️🐦 #shadowseason #wintertide #slowmaking #artistjourney #synchronicity #foundobjects #antiquefinds #mythiclife #wildsouls #flotsam_fables

1 week ago

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2/6

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Full moon tonight, the Cold Moon and the last full moon of the year. It feels like a time of emptying and soft vulnerability as we move toward the darkest day. A pause, a breath, a quiet settling. How has today been for you? I’ve had a mixed one myself. I managed to badly burn my hand but still found the courage for a cold swim in the sea, and even ticked off a few important jobs. Now I’m looking forward to an evening with some special friends making wreaths and fire. 🌕❄️🌊✨ #coldmoon #winterfullmoon #endofyearenergy #seasonofstillness #mythiclife #seaswimming #wintertide #creativejourney #wintercrafting #wreathmaking #flotsam_fables

3 weeks ago

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3/6

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Hello friends, Over this last year or so, more and more I’ve been thinking about freedom and autonomy in my creative practice, giving myself permission to wander, to experiment, and to choose my own pace and my own way. After two decades in the arts, this hasn’t always been easy. When I was working on big projects with looming deadlines, there wasn’t space for detours or mistakes. I often had to cling to the materials and processes I knew would behave themselves. But stepping out of the “shoulds” and returning to what feels true has been deeply liberating: following the wild pull of an idea, changing direction when something no longer fits, trusting myself to know what I need next. And honestly, we learn far more from our missteps than from our perfectly polished successes. When I give myself that spaciousness, real, breathing space, the work softens, opens, expands. New paths appear. Possibility returns. Art, like life, grows best when it’s given room to stretch its wings. Here’s to creative freedom, gentle self-direction, and the joy of choosing our own path. 🕊️✨ #flotsam_fables

3 weeks ago

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4/6

I’ve been working on this crow’s head today. Eventually it will be painted, but for now I’m strangely fond of the unintentional pink eyes, the red dyed seeds I used have tinted the clay a soft pink. A small alchemy I didn’t expect 🖤✨

I have been feeling a little sad recently, and quietly making this chap feels like a healing thing to do. Blessings to you lovely folk.. 🐦‍⬛🕯️

#wip #crows #mythicart #creaturemaker #clayart #flotsam_fables

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I’ve been working on this crow’s head today. Eventually it will be painted, but for now I’m strangely fond of the unintentional pink eyes, the red dyed seeds I used have tinted the clay a soft pink. A small alchemy I didn’t expect 🖤✨ I have been feeling a little sad recently, and quietly making this chap feels like a healing thing to do. Blessings to you lovely folk.. 🐦‍⬛🕯️ #wip #crows #mythicart #creaturemaker #clayart #flotsam_fables

4 weeks ago

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5/6

On this eve of the crescent moon, here are some recent photos of Melangell by @andrewabphotography @unity_theatre , wearing her beautiful new crescent-moon crown by @coppermossjewellery 🌛✨

Melangell is a cherished figure in Welsh mythology ✨ the patron saint of hares and wild creatures. An Irish princess who fled an arranged marriage, she found refuge in a Welsh forest where a hunted hare hid beneath her skirts. Moved by her deep connection with nature, the Prince of Powys granted her the valley that became her sanctuary 🌿🐇

Her hares feel like symbols of hidden wisdom, truths revealed only through patience, stillness and listening to the land. For me, Melangell embodies intuition, solitude and the quiet path toward inner knowing 🌙
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#Melangell #WelshMythology #Hares #SacredFeminine #FolkloreArt #FlotsamFables #CrescentMoon #MythicCreatures #Intuition #MythologyInArt #andrewabphotography #unitytheatre #coppermossjewellery #flotsam_fables

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On this eve of the crescent moon, here are some recent photos of Melangell by @andrewabphotography @unity_theatre , wearing her beautiful new crescent-moon crown by @coppermossjewellery 🌛✨ Melangell is a cherished figure in Welsh mythology ✨ the patron saint of hares and wild creatures. An Irish princess who fled an arranged marriage, she found refuge in a Welsh forest where a hunted hare hid beneath her skirts. Moved by her deep connection with nature, the Prince of Powys granted her the valley that became her sanctuary 🌿🐇 Her hares feel like symbols of hidden wisdom, truths revealed only through patience, stillness and listening to the land. For me, Melangell embodies intuition, solitude and the quiet path toward inner knowing 🌙 . . . . . #Melangell #WelshMythology #Hares #SacredFeminine #FolkloreArt #FlotsamFables #CrescentMoon #MythicCreatures #Intuition #MythologyInArt #andrewabphotography #unitytheatre #coppermossjewellery #flotsam_fables

4 weeks ago

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6/6