Chylde Catcher - HAPPY BIRTHDAY PIXIE

I note that tonight all our seats are facing west. This makes sense; Pamela Colman Smith lived in Kensington, worked in the Lyceum theatre, died in Cornwall, was of half Jamaican Blood, had lived in Jamaica – in addition to the USA. All locales westwards of Treadwells. This is a good sign that her spirit is with us.

 In lowered light the very relaxed Caroline Wise begins the proceedings. She’s so relaxed that she has also sat down herself. Christina laughingly reminds her to stand up so that those near the back can see her – she does …… but only to sit down again later on in the talk. She isn’t reminded again, as Ms Wise can be a bit  formidable …..
Caroline had first publicly celebrated Pamela Colman Smith birthday in 1996.
She told a marvelous anecdote (she’s full of them) from 1993 about buying an original PCS art from just seeing it in a Sotheby’s catalogue, making a reserve bid, forgetting all about it, only to be surprised and somewhat dismayed that she’d been the only bidder for the painting.
This ignorance or lack of appreciation for PCS seemed to be the triggering point for Caroline to start her PCS birthday celebrations, to help bring a more deserved recognition to this talented and sweet woman.
The painting that Caroline bought in 1993 called ‘Sunken Cathedral’ has been thoughtfully brought along. We have a tangible link with PCS in the room. ‘Sunken Cathedral’ close up can be seen to be painted in loving detail. Something she could not have seen from a catalogue picture. It’s obvious she’d got an absolute bargain.
PCS knew Debussy, so interestingly it has a connection to Debussy’s ‘Le Mer’ OR has it? A knowledgeable member of the Treadwells audience points out that Debussy wrote a prelude for piano called "The Submerged Cathedral” (La cathédrale engloutie) which would have had a more pointed resonance with the work.
A revelation that has probably added another ‘zero’ to the valuation of the painting.
This gets more interesting when we know that PCS had a condition called synesthesia. That is, she could 'hear' colours or ‘see’ sounds. The work had been an interpretation of the music “She was very psychic”

'Sunken Cathedral' by Pamela Colman Smith

 The Yeats’s had called her ‘Gypsy’ but she was more widely called ‘Pixie’.
It’s evident all the way through the talk and from her art PCS was a wonderfully sweet natured person – that others may have taken advantage of, financially for her services and also in not giving her the credit for her talents.  Is this why she ended up dying in poverty, despite coming from more than humble beginnings?

 She worked at the Lyceum Theatre for Bram Stoker and Henry Irving doing Costume and Set Design. Slides were projected of illustrations for Stoker’s ‘Lair Of The White Worm’
As more and more slides were projected another member of the audience couldn’t help interjecting that a lot of the work bore a striking pictorial style to the work of ‘Gordon Craig’ [who turns out to be an illegitimate son of Ellen Terry] –  Who was influenced by who?
PCS had illustrated the ‘AnnancyTales’ – Jamaican folk tales.
Had illustrated all 78 cards for the famous Rider-Waite pack in a year, for little cash.
The sea was a recurring theme “She came into her element – excuse the pun” said Caroline - and the slides we saw of rolling, crashing waves were quite stunning, as if she’d caught the very spirit of the sea itself.
In 1906 she had gone to New York and was the first artist to be exhibited at the Alfred Steiglitz Photographic Gallery.

 Caroline with her impressive list of contacts had got in touch with well known Qabalist Gareth Knight, as well as author for the promotion of women occultists and Tarot reader Mary Greer for a contribution to the evening.
Gareth Knight referred to her in old English style, to be “an exceedingly pleasant person” and that “We all owe her a tremendous debt”

 Mary Greer had done a 3 card reading especially for the nights celebration, directly asking the spirit of PCS.
1. Q. What is your greatest gift to us? Card: Justice Reversed
A. Humility from poetic justice, Non-judgmental

2. Q. What can we give you in return? – Card: The Sun
A. Celebrate your (PCS’s) life

3. Q. What do you want us to know? – Card: Page of Cups
Lift our own cups to your celebration of love and life

 It was at this point we raised our glasses and toasted the sweet Pamela Colman Smith

The projected Madonna Rider-Waite tarot video

 Usually at this juncture at a Treadwells talk that would be it and we’d have a Q. and A. with audience and speaker – But tonight’s a little bit special, so up steps another speaker. I say up steps but she’d been there all the time, for it was Treadwells very own Christina, to add her 2 cents

 Being Christina, she had of course done her esoteric variation on celebrity stalking, put on her anorak and took a trip to PCS’s house in Chelsea.
Not only that but she’d spoken to an old man who’d come into Treadwells and who use to know PCS, from doing her shopping in Baker St. where he’d had a tailoring shop. He told her that PCS was quite openly out about being gay.
A Member of the audience pipes up again that Ellen Terry’s had a lesbian daughter. Was this the reason that Ellen Terry took PCS under her wing? It was she who first of all called her ‘Pixie’ and who herself was on the occult fringe.

PCS had dressed up in Afro-Caribbean dress and recited Jamaican folklore tales in a native dialect at the many parties she had entertaining the likes of  W B Yeat’s, Ellen Terry, Florence Farr, Lady Gregory and various bohemians of the time.
It was at this point I thought we might have got one of Christina’s infamous impersonations but sadly it wasn’t to be – Damn!

 Next up though, was the exuberant Michael Bingus, oozing with so much positive animal energy, that he could even put Tigger  to shame … to do some Speed tarot reading for all our individual cards, that had been on our seats as we came in, utilising of course The Rider-Waite pack that PCS had illustrated. This was a special bonus to the evening

 With time pressing, a soundless Madonna’s video, interlude for Madonna's Re-Invention Tour in 2004 (remix of ‘Hollywood’) was projected on the wall – as it features just an animated Rider-Waite tarot deck.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gIvD9fMVt0

 The ‘tarot cake' was cut to pass around the ensemble, who were certainly in celebratory mood. I’ve never heard such a cacophony at Treadwells – A sizable of the audience being women, the sisters were doing it for themselves it would seem.

The Tarot cake

Special mention must go to elijahs_fire  for patiently indulging a few of us stragglers to the bewitching  hour in addition to being general dog’s body for the evening.
Paolo and Karen doing an impromptu path-working exercise with Caroline.
And myself in rapt attention to Sir Michael Staley discussing the O.T.O., Lam and anecdotes about Kenneth Grant, who he has so much genuine love for. It really doesn’t get much better than this!

 
On the bus on the way home I happen to glance out of the window, to see the name above a shop …… ‘Pixie Moon’
I’m aware of the spirit of PCS and find she’s even come home with me. I think other people who attended the talk may well have had the same experience.