About Scarlet Ostick
Outsider ‘artist Scarlet’s work is informed by her Traditional Witchcraft practice. Mischtechnic, collage, mixed media, poetry, performance/shadow puppetry and puppet making employing a rich variety of symbolism and materia pertaining to aspects of her craft.
To paraphrase writer Aiden Wachter – ‘I cover the world that was and set it aside. I create the world that is that I may inhabit it fully.”
The seeding of the Cronegarden
Scarlets Story
Born in Wigan, Lancashire in 1970, Scarlet ran away from home at 17 to Kent to work as a groom in showjumping stables. On a trip to Stonehenge at Solstice 1987 she met with Horsedrawn people – travelling in barrel-top wagons with their horses – and fell in love with the people and their horses and way of life. She moved into a Bedford mini bus and began life on traveller sites, soon upgraded to a vintage horsebox. The horse and wagon never materialised – instead a beautiful daughter- Martha – in 1990
When Martha was 5 they moved into a flat in Brighton with Martha’s stepdad – Matty Evo so that Martha could attend Steiner school. In 1999 beautiful Reuben was born completing a perfectly happy little family unit.
In 2006 Scarlet finally got a horse – Bob, but kept him in a stable! In 2009 she broke her spine in a riding accident , her recovery from which was facilitated by yoga mainly and more horse-riding. Scarlet has always drawn and painted but has no formal training apart from a week’s mischtechnik intensive in summer 2017 with Daniel Mirante, during which she fell in love with oil-paint .The smell reminds her of her dad, David, who used them but died when she was 7 and so hardly remembers.
She first took on the Cronegarden – her allotment, in 2012 and struggled for a while to keep a horse and build a garden. Eventually it was the horse which was relinquished – all the common land where she used to ride is fast being fenced in unfortunately.
In 2013 she set up ‘A Book of Shadows’ – fulfilling a lifelong ambition to be a puppeteer and tell the stories she told her children at bedtime in shadow-puppetry .
In 2014 Ruben’s beloved grandma Christine was diagnosed with cancer. The family nursed her for 3 years but Christine sadly died at the end of 2016. Reuben was bereft and became very depressed, tragically and shockingly taking his own life in January 2017.
Scarlet spends her days between the studio and Cronegarden – the two cross-pollinate each other and have got her through the last two years since Reuben’s death.
Her painting is inspired by nature, the qabalah and visionary themes.
Maid – in Wigan & transplanted to Brighton.
Mother – to two beautiful children – Martha and Reuben.
Crone – all of a sudden , when Reuben took his own life age 17.