Stone Artist’s Halloween Art Sale to Support Staffordshire Wildlife Rescue

What started with a love of the natural world has grown into a rather unusual collection of paintings and this Halloween, those paintings will be helping some of the very creatures that inspired them.

Stone-based artist Claire Valentine-Gibson has spent the past year creating paintings of British (mostly) wildlife for a new oracle deck, Nature’s Messengers. The 42-card deck explores the qualities, and symbolism Claire sees in the animals and birds around us, from the quiet wisdom of an owl to the transformative nature of a dragonfly.

But there is another story behind the paintings.

Claire has decided that the original wildlife artworks should not simply disappear into a box once they have been reproduced for the cards. Instead, she is offering them for sale and raising money for a British Wildlife Rescue Centre just outside Stafford.

For Claire, the connection feels natural.

“I've always been fascinated by the way we can learn from the natural world,”

she says.

“Spending time outside changes the way I feel. Whether I'm camping, walking through woodland or simply sitting outside at dusk, there's something about being around nature that makes everything else seem a little quieter.”

That fascination has become central to her work as an artist.

Claire describes herself as an artist inspired by the magical side of nature, creating paintings and sculptures that explore woodland, wildlife and folklore. She also tries to use recycled and reclaimed materials wherever possible, reflecting her belief that creating beautiful things does not need to cost the earth.

The animals behind the cards

Nature’s Messengers brings together 42 creatures across six realms: Sky, Forest, Night, Water, Earth, and Hearth & Familiar.

Each animal has been chosen because Claire feels it carries something worth noticing a quality, lesson or different way of looking at life.

The paintings themselves are much more than illustrations for a card deck. They are individual original artworks, each painted by Claire before being transformed into part of the finished oracle deck.

And it is those originals that will form the centrepiece of the fundraiser.

“I wanted the paintings to have another life,”

Claire explains.

“These animals have given me so much inspiration while I've been creating the deck, so being able to give something back to wildlife felt like the right thing to do.”

A Halloween launch

The full collection of wildlife paintings will be available from 31st October, when Claire will also be going live on Facebook.

During the live event she will show a selection of the original paintings, share some of the stories behind the animals and introduce Nature’s Messengers. Viewers will also be given a live link to the complete collection of original paintings available to purchase.

It will be a rather fitting date for the launch.

For an artist whose work draws on folklore, witchcraft and the mysterious side of nature, Halloween provides the perfect backdrop for unveiling a collection that has been inspired by the creatures of the British landscape.

But underneath the magic is something very real: helping wildlife.

How to join Claire's wildlife launch

Claire is encouraging anyone interested in the paintings, the oracle deck or British wildlife to join her email list. Those who sign up will receive notification of the 31st October Facebook live, along with the link to view the complete collection of original wildlife paintings when they go on sale.

You can visit her website HERE

Or

Scan the QR code in this article to join Claire's email list and make sure you don't miss the launch.

For Claire, the project is ultimately about bringing people back into a closer relationship with the natural world and perhaps reminding us that the wildlife around us has something to say, if we take the time to notice.

On 31st October, those messengers will have a chance to do just that through art, and in the process, help support wildlife on our own doorstep.