Blodeuwedd (2023), by J. Adam McGalliard Oil on canvas
We’re thrilled to feature this year’s winner of the special Enchanted Living Award in the Art Renewal Center’s 17th International ARC Salon: J. Adam McGalliard’s Blodeuwedd. (Find out more about the competition at artrenewal.org.) Of course we had to ask the artist about the piece, his process, and his secret to staying enchanted!
Enchanted Living: What fascinates you and what inspires you?
J. Adam McGalliard: I’m really drawn to old stories like myths, fairy tales, the kind of narratives that have been passed down for centuries because they touch something deep in us. I love painting figures who are caught between different worlds or in moments of change. There’s something about characters who carry both strength and fragility that really speaks to
me. My inspiration comes from all over the place, from books I’m reading, time spent in nature, even dreams that stick with me. I’m always looking for that feeling that there’s something magical just under the surface of ordinary life.
EL: How did Blodeuwedd come about?
JAM: I’ve been fascinated by her story for years. In Welsh mythology, Blodeuwedd is a woman made from flowers, conjured by two male magicians to be the obedient wife of a man cursed never to marry a human. She wasn’t born, she was constructed, built to serve someone else’s needs with no say in the matter. But then she chooses something for herself. She falls in love with another man and tries to escape the life that was forced on her, and for that, she’s condemned. People often focus on the idea of betrayal, but what draws me in is the courage of claiming selfhood, of refusing to accept what isn’t right. I wanted to paint her not as a cautionary tale but as someone fierce and defiant, reclaiming her autonomy in the face of control.
EL: Can you explain the painting and what it signifies?
JAM: I painted her in a moment of transformation. She’s still connected to the nature and spell she was created from, but she’s also breaking away from it. You can see the flowers and intertwining roots are both part of her body and something she’s emerging from. It’s meant to capture that tension between what we’re made to be and who we choose to become. The flowers are beautiful, but they’re also a kind of prison. I wanted that duality to come through, the beauty and the danger, the stillness and the change happening all at once.
EL: And finally, how do you stay enchanted?
JAM: For me, it’s in the everyday work of making art, those long, quiet hours in the studio when I’m completely absorbed in what I’m doing. I take my dog on walks every morning too. I live in a historic area with lots of trees and small parks, and there’s something about being in those spaces that draws me back to the same myths and stories, many of which are nature-centered. These places that I’ve seen hundreds of times always show me something new. It’s not always this grand, magical feeling. Sometimes it’s just the satisfaction of noticing how light falls across a patch of grass or a certain angle of an old oak tree. Staying open to those small moments of wonder is where the magic lives for me.
See more of McGalliard’s work at mcgalliard.net or visit him on Instagram @adammcgalliard.
